Daily Times

The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Disciplinary Panel on Friday released its detailed judgment on a three-year ban on Umar Akmal with an observation that the controversial batsman failed to show remorse and seek apology for failing to report two fixing approaches to the relevant authority. The 29-year-old Umar was provisionally suspended on February 20, just hours before he was due to represent Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) opening game at Karachi. His three-year ban from cricket will end on February 19, 2023. Disciplinary Panel Chairman Justice (r) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan submitted his detailed judgement on the case to the PCB, which made it public on Friday. Umar received the ban of three years for each of the two charges of violating the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code. Both periods of ineligibility will run concurrently. And it was also confirmed on May 8 (yesterday) that the ban starts from the date he was suspended. Unlike a number of punishments in corruption investigations, there is no suspended sentence. Umar has 14 days to appeal before the appellate tribunal. Umar has played in 200 internationals across three formats of the game since 2009. The PCB Anti-Corruption Code clearly states that a player must report being approached to fix games. The charges against Umar came under Article 2.4.4, which deals with: “Failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code.”

“It appears that he is not prepared to show remorse and seek apology, make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him,” Chauhan said in the judgement. “The charge as framed is proved and the participant has rendered himself liable to be punished for breach of Article 2.4. It is also admitted by him that he failed to report the approaches and invitation to the PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department, as required by the PCB Code, Article 2.4.4. In view of the above charge as framed, stood proven and participant has rendered himself to be punished under Article 6.2 of the PCB Code,” Chauhan added in his judgement. Umar’s case had gone directly to the PCB Disciplinary Panel after he opted to forego the right to a hearing before the anti-corruption tribunal, where he could have pleaded his innocence and contested the charges. His decision not to do that meant that he would accept whatever sanctions the Disciplinary Panel Chairman imposed on him.

Chauhan also observed that Umar “had failed to give any plausible explanation for not reporting the matter to PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department and is in breach of the rule article 2.4.4 and he would be deemed to be engaged in corrupt conduct under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code.” The judgment concluded with: “The participant/player/Umar Akmal shall not play, coach or otherwise, participate or be involved in any capacity in any match or any kind of functions, event or activity (other than authorised anti-corruption education or rehablitaion programme that is authorised sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by the PCB, the ICC or other national cricket federations, or receive accreditation previously issued shall be deemed to be withdrawn.”

Umar burst onto the scene with a century in his first Test in 2009, but his career has been marred by disciplinary problems, resulting in various bans and fines. He was arrested in February 2014 after a scuffle with a traffic warden who stopped him for a signal violation. In September 2017, he copped a three-month ban for publicly criticising then Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur, and earlier this year, he was reprimanded by the PCB for misbehaving after failing a fitness test, reportedly exposing himself to a trainer in frustration at one point. Umar last represented Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in Lahore last year, falling to first ball ducks on both occasions. He has so far played 16 Tests, 121 one-day games and 84 Twenty20s for Pakistan. Umar promised a lot after making a hundred in New Zealand on his Test debut, but failed to live up to the high expectations that came with some fine performances early in his career. The ban comes as the most significant setback to highly talented Umar, whose career has been littered with ups and downs.