Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal was recently in the headlines when he was slapped with a three-year ban from playing in all forms of the game by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the 29-year-old failed to report a corrupt approach to the nation’s cricketing body.
According to PCB’s anti-corruption code, a player is required to instantly submit a report to a team manager or the concerned officials of the anti-corruption unit when he receives any match-fixing approach.
Now, the Lahore-born has filed an appeal against the three-year ban imposed on him, in order to decrease the duration of the sanction.
The cricket governing board has also confirmed the receipt of Akmal’s appeal; therefore, it will form a panel of independent adjudicators to hear the case. As per PCB’s code, the panel will not conduct a de novo (fresh) hearing and will limit itself to “a consideration of whether the decision being appealed was erroneous,” as reported by ESPNCricinfo.
Earlier, PCB had issued a statement which explained why Akmal was handed a ban of three years. As per the Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Panel, Mr Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, Akmal was not prepared to show remorse and even seek an apology.
“It appears that he (Umar Akmal) is not prepared to show remorse and seek an apology, make the admission that he failed to fulfil his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4.4, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him,” Chauhan had said in the PCB release.
Akmal was charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents on March 17.
“Given the admission of the participant (Umar Akmal) that he failed to disclose to PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department, the details of the approaches and invitations extended to him without unnecessary delay. The charge as framed is proved, and the participant (Umar Akmal) has rendered himself liable to be punished for breach of Article 2.4.4,” the retired Justice had added.
“Charge No.2, breach of Article 2.4.4 of the Code by failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department of the PCB, full details of the approaches and invitations received by you (Umar Akmal) to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code in respect of matches in PSL 2020,” Chauhan had added further.
Akmal has so far played 16 Tests, 84 T20s, and 121 ODIs for Pakistan, and amassed 1003, 1690 and 3194 runs, respectively. The 29-year-old has three hundreds and fifties to his name in international cricket.
