LAHORE: Announcing that show-cause notices have been sent to under-probe Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan on Monday sounded firm in addressing the menace of corruption and revealed that a tribunal comprising a senior judge will hear the appeals of the suspected players.

“Show-cause notices have been sent to Sharjeel and Khalid while the investigation against Mohammad Irfan is still continuing and he may [also] be served a show-cause notice,” said the PCB chief while addressing a news conference here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Monday. “No action will be taken against Shahzaib Hasan and Zulfiqar Babar as they have been cleared [after questioning]. And as soon as we receive any latest update we will share it with the media.”

Shaharyar added, “A senior judge will be appointed as head of the disciplinary tribunal to hear the appeals of cricketers [concerned] and let me assure all that strict punishments will be handed to those found responsible.”


Show-cause notices sent to Sharjeel, Khalid; investigation against Mohammad Irfan continues


While rejecting Khalid’s latest statement in which he has claimed innocence, the PCB chief said the Board had solid proofs (of corruption) against both Sharjeel and Khalid which was why they were immediately sent back home from Dubai.

Shaharyar categorically said PSL’s was not the case of match-fixing but spot-fixing.

Revealing that both Sharjeel and Khalid had boarded the same flight on which he was returning home from the UAE, the PCB chief said he snubbed the duo for defaming the country, their families and their own name.

The chairman while dispelling the impression that the ICC detected the PSL fixing scam, said in fact it was the PCB’s anti-corruption unit that played the lead role in uncovering the dirty practice which he emphasised should be lauded.

“Look, the PCB gives great importance to successful staging of the PSL whose league matches have attracted the attention of the entire nation. This league is important also because its final is scheduled to be held in Lahore [on March 5]. Therefore, I believe it will be embarrassing for all of us if the PSL gets any blot [of corruption],” Shaharyar underlined, just a couple of hours after Lahore was jolted by a massive suicide bomb blast killing at least 12 including two high-ranking police officials besides injuring dozens.

The tragic incident has raised some serious questions on holding the high-profile PSL final in the provincial capital where a deadly terror attack on Sri Lankan cricket team took place back in March 2009 — an occurrence that has prevented international cricket action in Pakistan to date.

In the 2010 spot-fixing case, the ICC took the lead role in deciding the fate of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir but this time the PCB would take decisions on the tainted players, Shaharyar clarified.

When asked for his take, Shaharyar differed with some critics who reckoned that former cricketers who were penalised in the past for their involvement in corrupt activities somehow rema­ined associated with the PCB — one of the reasons the menace of fixing could not be rooted out.

“I would not agree to it. I think the formerplayers did not persuade the [current] cricketers to get involved in such dirty practices, because they [ex-players] escaped from ban by the Justice Qayyum Commission; rather, they are more careful in keeping themselves away from such wrong activities.”

Meanwhile, Shaharyar said the PCB was expecting the directors of three member countries of the ICC and security officials of the others to visit and witness the PSL final in Lahore so that all of them could also directly monitor the security situation.

The head of ICC task force on Pakistan Giles Clarke persuaded the ICC members to send their delegations to Pakistan as the security situation had improved considerably, the PCB chief added.

In his report, Shaharyar noted, Clarke had mentioned that the terror incidents in Pakistan had reduced by 80 per cent.

Responding to a query, Shaharyar said though Prime Minister Mian Mohammad Nawaz Sharif, as patron-in-chief of the PCB, had not asked for any inquiry so far into the PSL spot-fixing scandal, he would brief the PM on the issue.

Commenting on reports indicating head coach Mickey Arthur has agreed with chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq for one captain in all three formats, he hinted that Sarfraz Ahmed might also be appointed Test captain.

“Recently, I held a long meeting with Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq in Dubai during which he sought a couple of weeks to confirm whether he will continue playing [Test] cricket. If Misbah decides to quit then we will have one captain for three formats, otherwise, Misbah will continue as I have lot of respect for Misbah,” Shaharyar said.

Meanwhile, Shaharyar said he held a separate meeting with BCCI representative Vikram Limaye during the ICC meeting held in Dubai last week, urging him to honour the commitment the Indian board had made with the PCB on resuming the bilateral series.

Published in Dawn February 14th, 2017

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