Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) anti-corruption tribunal on Monday banned Pakistan batsman Nasir Jamshed for one-year for failing to co-operate with the PCB’s anti-corruption unit regarding an investigation into Pakistan Super League (PSL) II spot-fixing case. Nasir, who has played 48 one-day internationals for Pakistan, was suspended from all forms of cricket in February for violating the PCB’s anti-corruption code. “The anti-corruption tribunal has imposed one-year ban on cricketer Nasir for non-cooperation with the PCB anti-corruption unit, more charges will be brought up in near future,” a PCB spokesman said. The 27-year-old did not participate in the first two editions of the PSL but is alleged to have played a major role in the spot-fixing scandal that engulfed the Twenty20 tournament earlier this year.

Sharjeel Khan was the first cricketer in the spot-fixing case, who was banned for five years last month. However, after a suspension period of two and a half years and with the addition of seven months, which the left-handed opener had already passed as a result of the case proceedings, the remaining period of his punishment was reduced to just one year and 11 months when it was announced in August 2017. In September, batsman Khalid Latif was handed a five-year ban and Rs one million fine for involvement in the spot-fixing case. He was charged on six counts, including persuading or attempting to persuade three other cricketers – Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan and Sharjeel Khan – to get involved in spot-fixing. Paceman Irfan and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz received respective suspensions for 12 and two months.

The PCB was adamant early on that Nasir was a central figure behind the scam, a belief that was bolstered when Nasir was arrested in the United Kingdom in February in connection with that investigation. He was released on bail, and the current status of his investigation in the UK remains unclear.

The PCB spokesman added: “The tribunal was able to prove the charge of failure to cooperate in the investigation whereas the other charge on Nasir of being obstruction in investigation has not yet been proved. This ban has been imposed on single charge only. There is a narrative being made against the PCB that the PCB has no proofs against Nasir, but let us make it clear that the charges and proofs against Nasir have not been made public in order to keep investigation in flow and so that Nasir is not able to put cover on his tracks.”

The ban prevents Nasir from all forms of cricket till February 13, 2018, one year on from when he was first suspended. However, his legal troubles aren’t over yet, and more charges could be laid against him depending on the status of the UK investigation. Nasir’s lawyer Hasan Warraich said the proceedings proved that the PCB had no proof against his client. “My client has been defamed nationally and internationally, and the reputation of the country has been damaged by the PCB’s actions. And ultimately, nothing comes of it. They kept saying they had multiple proofs against my client, and I challenged them to present those proofs to the media. They have consistently failed to do so, and nothing came of the FIA (Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency) report that they referred to.” Nasir has not played an international game for Pakistan since the 2015 World Cup.

Published in Daily Times, December 12^th 2017.