KARACHI: Disgraced cricketer Nasir Jamshed was on Thursday indicted by a British law enforcement agency for his alleged part in the infamous spot-fixing scandal for which he was earlier banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The National Crime Agency (NCA) reported yesterday that Jamshed, along with two Bangladeshi cricketers, has been indicted for bribery. “Three men have been charged with bribery offences as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into cricket match spot-fixing in tournaments organised by national cricket boards from Pakistan and Bangladesh,” the British agency said. According to the agency, British nationals Yousaf Anwar, 35, and Mohammed Ijaz, 33, had been arrested in February 2017, along with Nasir Jamshaid, 32, from Pakistan. Jamshed and company’s first appearance at Manchester Magistrates Court will be on Jan 15, 2019 – the NCA added. The NCA worked closely with the PCB and International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption units as part of the investigation in connection with the case. On Aug 17, Jamshed was banned for 10 years for violating the PCB’s anti-corruption code. “The tribunal has reached the verdict that the PCB’s multiple charges against Nasir Jamshed have been proved and he was banned for 10 years,” a PCB lawyer had told reporters.
Jamshed was banned in the spot-fixing scandal that erupted during the 2017 Pakistan Super League (PSL). Batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif have been handed five-year bans for their role, while paceman Mohammad Irfan and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz received shorter suspensions. Britain has taken action over match-fixing in cricket before. In 2011, Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty of taking bribes to fix part of a test match against England in a case that prosecutors said revealed rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket. A third cricketer, Mohammad Amir, admitted his part in the scam, which involved deliberately bowling no-balls at pre-arranged times, before the trial started.
Published in Daily Times, December 21st 2018.