Daily Times

LAHORE: United Arab Emirates (UAE) players Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar Butt have been banned from all cricket for eight years each after the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Tribunal found them guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The bans are backdated to October 16, 2019 when they were provisionally suspended for attempting to corrupt matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 in the UAE.

Following a full hearing and presentation of written and oral argument, the Tribunal found both Naveed and Shaiman guilty of: Article 2.1.1 –– for being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of a match or matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019. Article 2.4.4 ––- Failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019. Naveed was also found guilty of breaching the following two counts of the Emirates Cricket Board Anti-Corruption Code for Participants of the T10 League 2019: Article 2.1.1 –– for being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of a match or matches at the T10 League 2019. Article 2.4.4 ––- Failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code at the T10 League 2019. Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity Unit, said on Tuesday: “Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar represented their adopted country, the UAE at the highest level in cricket. Naveed was the captain and leading wicket taker. Anwar was the opening bat. Both had long international careers and were well versed in the threat from match fixers. That they both chose to engage with this corrupt activity was a cynical betrayal of their positions, their teammates, and all supporters of UAE cricket. I am pleased that the independent Tribunal has imposed significant bans from all forms of cricket and this should serve as a warning to any cricketer who considers taking the wrong path.”

In a statement released shortly after the ICC verdict became public, the ECB acknowledged the work done by the authorities, and reiterated that it remained “firm in its stance denouncing any activities of corruption and those undertaken by the players in this anti-corruption case”. As pointed out by Marshall, the two were among UAE’s most experienced international cricketers. Anwar, just past his 42nd birthday, has been their highest run-getter across the ODI and T20I formats, and 33-year-old Naveed their most prolific wicket-taker in ODIs and second from top in T20Is. Naveed and Anwar were charged under the ICC anti-corruption code in October 2019, and suspended days before the start of the qualifiers in the UAE. Naveed, who was UAE’s captain at the time, was stood down from the post. At the time, Naveed had accepted that he had failed to report a suspicious approach during the tournament, but claimed he had ended the conversation when he realised the person he was meeting was a “fixer”.