Karachi: Pakistan’s new ODI and T20 captain Sarfraz Ahmad avoided speaking on the PSL spot-fixing scandal, which has rocked the cricket community, but admitted that the country’s cricket is under the cosh.
Terming the coming series in the West Indies as a big challenge for Pakistan cricket, the wicketkeeper-batsman told the media on the eve of the team’s departure for the Caribbean that the first target is to win the three match ODI series and qualify directly for the next World Cup.
“I don’t want to comment on the PSL issue but yes we are going through tough times and we need to do well in the coming series to boost our people,” he said.
He conceded that like in 2010, the Pakistan cricket team will again have to do a lot to overcome the recent scandal, which has led to the suspension of five players.
During the tour of England in 2010, three players — then captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir — were found involved in spot-fixing and banned for five-years.
Sarfraz had earlier said that Pakistan would miss the services of opener Sharjeel Khan in the West Indies as he was suspended in connection with the spot-fixing scandal. Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed are the other players who have been suspended.
Head coach Mickey Arthur said while the PSL scandal and the involvement of his players was disappointing, one had to move on.
“Look, what happened with Sharjeel and Khalid it is past now and although it is very disappointing one has to move ahead. Players need to take more responsibility, especially after this incident,” Arthur said.
He said he had no doubt in his mind that any player found involved in fixing didn’t have a place in cricket.
“I feel upset and sad when I look at the bright future ahead of Sharjeel as he had made his place in all three formats and he was getting fitter. But greed is always bad in sports and it is hurting cricket,” he added.
The PCB, meanwhile, is not happy with the Federal Investigation Agency starting a separate investigation into the spot-fixing scandal.
This was made apparent by a top official of the board, Najam Sethi, who also heads the Pakistan Super League secretariat when he suggested that the FIA put on hold its inquiry until the PCB has completed its process to find out whether the players are guilty or not.
Sethi, a former chairman of the board, also negated the impression that the PCB had asked the FIA to help them investigate the case which has led to the suspension of the five players.
Except for Jamshed, who is in London, all the other players have been questioned by both the PCB anti-corruption officials and the FIA in Lahore.
A three-member tribunal appointed by the PCB to hear the case is due to hold its preliminary hearing on March 24 in Lahore.
“PCB didn’t write any letter to FIA in which it said to start investigation or launch an inquiry against the players,” Sethi said.
“If the FIA claims we asked them to help us, ask them to show the letter to this effect,” he said.
“It is our prerogative to hold the inquiry under the anti-corruption laws of the PCB and ICC which deals with spot-fixing. The board has defined procedures to deal with such issues,” he said.
Sethi said the PCB had only asked the FIA to help them in verifying the data, which the PCB investigators found on the mobile phones taken from the suspected players.
He said the data included emails, text and WhatsApp messages.
“We went (with) a letter to the FIA that we have these players’ mobile phones as evidence which we want to prove our point in front of the tribunal. If we want to put the data before the tribunal it has to be verified and only agency can do this under the law and that is the FIA. We asked them to authenticate the data,” Sethi explained.
He insisted the FIA inquiry had been ordered by federal interior minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan.
“The FIA does not need our permission to start the inquiry into anything, they do it based on media reports as the law allows this. All I am suggesting is they should hold the inquiry after we have finished our process,” he said.