Dubai: Islamabad United team players Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif have been provisionally suspended from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after both the players were accused of spot fixing.
Khan was a regular player in UAE’s domestic cricket and once won a KIA Picanto Car playing for Phoenix Medicines — and emerged as the man of the series in the 2013 Superstars Twenty20 tournament, organised by Dubai Cricket Council, before becoming a Pakistan national team player. Khan, 27, is one of the hardest hitting batsmen in the Pakistan team. He has played in one Test match, 25 One Day internationals and 15 Twenty20 International matches.
Thirty-one-year-old Latif is an opener who has played in five One Day Internationals and 13 Twenty20 International matches.
Both the players have been sent back to Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that the duo had been suspended under their Anti-Corruption Code as part of an ongoing probe into an international syndicate suspected of trying to ‘corrupt’ the PSL.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan said: “I must remind all players of their responsibilities in the fight against corruption. They must understand that if they even think they may have been the subject of a suspicious approach, it is their obligation under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code to report it to an appropriate anti-corruption official as a matter of urgency. Under no circumstances will the PCB condone actions of a few individuals to bring disrepute to the game of cricket or taint the image of Pakistan.”
According to sources, both players have confessed being approached by members of an international betting syndicate. Najam Sethi, the chairman of the PSL, came to the press box in Dubai and said: “We have zero tolerance against corruption in cricket. We have beefed up our investigators. The investigation of the PCB Anti-Corruption Unit backed by the ICC ACU [International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit] has been effective in dealing with this case to date and we will continue to work in the closest collaboration as the investigation proceeds. We are all absolutely committed to relentlessly pursuing anyone who would seek to damage the integrity of our sport.”
Sethi added: “It would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of the case, however, this investigation is a clear demonstration of our determination to drive corruption out of our sport. We will not tolerate any form of corrupt activity and as this investigation proceeds we will not hesitate to take further decisive action as appropriate.”
Khan played the opening match of the 2017 edition on Thursday for Islamabad, scoring one run against Peshawar Zalmi, while Latif was not part of the XI.
