ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Shahryar Khan, has declared the players who were involved in the PSL scandal “innocent”, claiming that they did not know whether the man they met was their fan or a bookie.
He stated this in the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination. The committee met under its chairman, Senator Mushahidullah Khan, at the Parliament House.
The standing committee chairman, while expressing his resentment, questioned the PBC chairman on his inaction when the matter was already in his knowledge. “You also did not contact the ICC. Why were the news items run in the media refuted?” he asked.
He directed the PCB to hold an inquiry into the spot fixing scam regarding Pakistani players in the ongoing Pakistan Super League matches in Dubai. “If the players are involved, then they must be punished so that the menace of match fixing and spot fixing can be curbed once and for all. If the players are not involved, then they must be defended.”
The PCB chairman told the standing committee that the names of three players have surfaced with regards to match fixing. “Spot fixing and match fixing is not a new thing. This is prevalent all over the world and has become common after T-20 games. Bookies seek access to the players through some other medium. In this case, a bookie – Yusuf – approached the players through Nasir Jamshed. These meetings came to the knowledge of our anti-corruption unit. Therefore, prompt action was taken and the players were sent home. They have also admitted their mistake. Irfan was unaware of the real matter. Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan met, but they did not inform the security officers about their meeting. A criminal case has been registered against Nasir Jamshed and the bookie in England. The statements of the players will be recorded now. However, the tribunal will decide after looking into the matter thoroughly,” the PCB chief said.
The committee chairman said the country had been defamed in the past as a result of this matter. “Had stern action been taken in the past, we could have avoided this today. This scam should be curbed once and for all.”
The meeting was attended by senators Sardar Muhammad Azam Khan Musa Khel, Saud Majid, Rozi Khan Kakar, Chaudhry Tanvir Khan and Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Riaz Pirzada, as well as the PCB chairman and others.