Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan’s opening batsman Shahzaib Hasan Friday appeared before the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) three-man anti-corruption tribunal for the first time since being charged for alleged corruption. During the preliminary hearing of the case pertaining to an ongoing probe into spot-fixing allegations which rocked the Pakistan Super League II earlier this year, the tribunal charged Hasan. The 27-year-old player was charged with breaching articles 2.1.4, 2.4.4 and 2.4.5 of the PCB’s anti-corruption code. Last month, the PCB handed Shahzaib a provisional suspension for allegedly failing to report a suspect approach in time and in full detail, and also for allegedly inducing players in corruption. Justice (r) Asghar Haider, Lt Gen (r) Tauqir Zia and former Test cricketer Wasim Bari are part of the tribunal. Two lawyers from the PCB and officials of the PCB’s vigilance and security department were also present at the tribunal hearing.

Shahzaib attended the opening hearing along with his lawyer, Barrister Malik Kashif Rajwana, and agreed to the timelines to be adopted under the PCB’s anti-corruption code, with a formal hearing set for June 1 in Lahore. The PCB, according to the procedure laid down by the tribunal, will submit its opening brief and submit its evidence on May 4. The tribunal, thereafter, will offer Shahzaib an opportunity to respond by May 18 and the PCB may, at its discretion, file a rebuttal by May 25. The final hearing will initiate on day-to-day basis from June 1 at the National Cricket Academy.

In a separate proceeding, Shahzaib could also be facing more charges for breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code. The PCB may have found fresh leads in the ongoing investigation into the allegations of corruption surrounding the second season of the Pakistan Super League. The PCB had issued fresh notices against the
players, and asked them to appear for interviews before its security and vigilance department on April 27.

Shahzaib was the fifth player to come under the scanner during the second edition of the PSL in the UAE, and was charged with breaching three clauses of the PCB’s anti-corruption code. The player has reportedly accepted at least one minor charge that covers the non-reporting clause but has challenged the major breach that centered around inducing players in corruption directly or indirectly. It has been more than six years since the opening batsman Shahzaib last played for Pakistan, and the highlight of his brief international career of three ODIs and 10 T20Is was being part of the victorious World T20 side in 2009.