LAHORE: Suspended Pakistan batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif will contest the PSL spot-fixing charges against them before the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed tribunal when it holds its proceedings at the National Cricket Academy here on Friday.

The tribunal is headed by retired Justice Asghar Haider with former PCB chairman retired Lt Gen Tauqir Zia and former Test captain Wasim Bari being the other two members.

Opener Sharjeel has been charged for breaching Articles 2.1.1; 2.1.2; 2.1.3; 2.4.4 and 2.4.5 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code while Khalid was charged under Articles 2.1.1; 2.1.2; 2.1.3, 2.1.4; 2.4.4; and 2.4.5.

The duo, playing for Islamabad United in the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), were sent back to the country immediately after the opening match of the glitzy T20 league in Dubai on February 9 for involvement in a spot-fixing scandal which has seen three other players charged.

The PCB claims it has strong evidence against the charged players and will provide all evidences to the tribunal on Friday.

At the end of the PSL, lanky Pakistan paceman Mohammad Irfan — also of Islamabad United — and Karachi Kings batsman Shahzaib Hasan were also charged.

Irfan later confessed that he did not report to the PCB that a bookie had contacted him and has been slapped with a one-year ban and Rs1 million fine while Shahzaib is likely to contest his case before the tribunal, following in the footsteps of Sharjeel and Khalid.

The PCB has also charged discarded Test opener Nasir Jamshed for his involvement in the saga. Nasir, who lives in London, has been sent a charge sheet through e-mail.

A PCB official visited London recently but there are reports that he did not meet Nasir.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2017