August 31, 2017 by admin

Sharjeel gets five-year ban for spot-fixing

Karachi, August 31
Pakistan’s Test batsman Sharjeel Khan was today handed a five-year ban by the anti-corruption tribunal of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his role in a spot-fixing scandal during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in February this year. Khan was banned for breaching five clauses of PCB’s anti-corruption code. The ban would be considered effective from February 10 this year when he was first suspended and sent back from Dubai on spot-fixing charges along with another Pakistan player, Khalid Latif. Khan, 28, can revive his career after two years as he would serve the ban in two phases, with the second half being a suspended sentence to be served under PCB’s observation.
“We are okay with the decision and like I had said, PCB was unable to produce sufficient evidence to convince the tribunal that my client did indeed do spot-fixing,” said Khan’s lawyer.
Khan, who has played one Test, 25 ODIs and 25 T20I matches, was hailed as “Warner” of Pakistan by former head coach Waqar Younis.
The tribunal’s decision is as a setback for PCB, which had repeatedly claimed to have sufficient evidence against Khan and Latif in the case. PCB had even asked the tribunal for a life ban on the two players. The tribunal will give a verdict on Latif’s case next month. PCB had claimed that Khan and Latif met with bookmakers in Dubai and the former accepted a spot-fixing offer and played two dot balls as per the deal with the bookmaker.
Khan denied playing the dot balls as part of the deal and his lawyer produced expert witnesses — former Test batsmen Dean Jones, Mohammad Yousuf and Sadiq Mohammad — to confirm he played the balls on merit in the first match of the PSL this year.