Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday charged and suspended international player Shahzaib Hasan in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) spot fixing case. Batsman Shahzaib has become the fifth Pakistan player to be provisionally suspended by the PCB as part of its investigation into alleged corruption in the PSL that concluded last month in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Shahzaib has been suspended with immediate effect from all forms of cricket for allegedly failing to report a suspect approach in time and in full detail, and also for allegedly inducing players in corruption indirectly. “He has been charged with breaching three major clauses of the PCB’s anti-corruption code — 2.1.4, 2.4.4 and 2.4.5 — and is given 14 days to respond,” said a spokesman for the PCB yesterday.

The scandal surfaced on February 10 when Islamabad United players Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were suspended and expelled from the PSL on charges of receiving offers from a suspicious man linked to an international betting syndicate. A third Islamabad United player, Mohammad Irfan, was also suspended on Tuesday for not reporting offers from bookmakers. While former Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed was also provisionally suspended on charges of being a ‘go between’ in the spot-fixing incident. Jamshed and another unnamed person were arrested in Britain last month but were bailed until April.

Shahzaib was summoned by the PCB in relation to the investigation into alleged corruption in the PSL. He was questioned over two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) about his relations with the already suspended players and was asked why he had delayed reporting an approach by three days. Sources have revealed that Shahzaib did admit to the officials that he had been approached for spot fixing in matches by a caller but he failed to report the approach on time. Shahzaib has also claimed that he didn’t report the matter earlier as an unknown caller had threatened him and his family to remain quiet. Interestingly, among the charges levelled against Shahzaib one is related to trying to influence other players into spot-fixing.

It has been more than six years since Shahzaib last played for Pakistan and the highlight of his brief international career was the World T20 victory in 2009. His flamboyance was the defining feature of his batting but inconsistency in domestic cricket limited his career to three ODIs and 10 T20Is between 2009 and 2010. Two weeks before the PSL in UAE this year, Shahzaib scored 171 off 117 in the semi-final of the Regional One-day Cup but did not find that form with Karachi Kings, making 19 and 0 in two innings. The widening scandal has tainted the PSL, hailed as a step towards restoring international cricket in the militancy-plagued country after the final in Lahore passed without incident. A guilty verdict for the players would prove disastrous for Pakistan cricket, which was last rocked by a match-fixing scandal in 2010 that deprived it of three top players including paceman Mohammad Amir, who has since made a comeback. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said Thursday the players could face jail terms.

The PCB has already formed a three-member tribunal headed by a former judge Asghar Haider to probe into the charges against Sharjeel and Khalid. Both the players have denied doing any spot-fixing for the suspected bookmaker Yousuf Anwar and a yet to be named foreigner in Dubai but have admitted to not informing authorities when approaches were made to them to spot fix matches in the PSL. Similarly pace bowler Irfan has also admitted getting offers and not informing the authorities

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s one-day and Twenty20 captain Sarfraz Ahmed said fast-rising Sharjeel will be missed on the team’s tour of West Indies. They are set to fly out Monday. “Sharjeel was not only settled in the team but was exactly the one who we needed in opening slot,” said Sarfraz of the dashing left-handed opener who has played one Test, 25 one-day and 15 Twenty20 internationals. Sharjeel hit three consecutive half centuries in the one-day series in Australia earlier this year and was also contracted by Leicestershire to play in England in July. The county has now replaced him with New Zealand’s Luke Ronchi. “Sharjeel was the kind of batsman who was matching the modern-day cricket. His ouster will affect but whoever comes in as replacement will also be outstanding and can also put up his best,” Sarfraz continued. Pakistan play the first of four Twenty20s in Barbados on March 26. The Twenty20s will be followed by three one-day internationals and as many Tests.