An anti-corruption tribunal formed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday imposed a one-year ban on cricketer Shahzaib Hasan for his alleged role in a spot-fixing case, DawnNews reported.

Hasan, 28, was declared guilty of violating three clauses of PCB's code of conduct for players during the second edition of Pakistan Super League (PSL). The two-member tribunal also imposed a fine of Rs1 million against the player.

Hasan, who was playing for the Karachi Kings, was one of six players charged with various breaches of the anti-corruption code during PSL 2.

“Hasan has been banned for one year and fined one million rupees on one charge and we have requested for more action against him on inducing other players for fixing,” board legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi told reporters.

The PCB had issued a charge-sheet against Hasan and suspended him on March 18, 2017, over allegations of spot-fixing during the PSL Twenty20 tournament in 2017. The board had suspended Hassan from participating in all forms of cricket.

Following the tribunal's verdict, Advocate Kashif Rajwana who represented Hasan told reporters that his client was not punished for luring someone into spot-fixing "but for informing the board about violations after a delay".

The ban, which applies retrospectively since Hasan's suspension last year, will end on March 17 this year, Rajwana said. The lawyer added that he will decide about an appeal against the decision after consultation with the player.

PCB legal adviser Rizvi, however, made it clear that even after the ban has ended, Hasan will only be able to play official cricket after due process under a rehabilitation programme. He claimed that the punishment awarded to the player would 'set an example for other players'.

Hasan was a member of Pakistan's World Twenty20 winning team in 2009 but has not played any international cricket in the past eight years.

An aggressive opener, he played three one-day internationals and 10 Twenty20 internationals before losing his place due to poor performances in 2010.

The PSL was rocked by scandal in February last year when it was announced that several players were caught in a spot-fixing incident.

Spot-fixing involves determining the outcome of a specific part of a match rather than the overall result, and is therefore harder to detect than match-fixing.

The PCB formed a three-man tribunal which later banned Sharjeel Khan for five years (two and a half suspended) while Khalid Latif was banned for five full years and fined one million rupees.

Mohammad Irfan was banned for one year (six months suspended), Mohammad Nawaz for two months (one suspended) and Nasir Jamshed for one year.

The third edition of the PSL is currently being staged in the UAE, with two play-offs in Lahore and the final in Karachi on March 25.

The PCB took extra measures to stem spot-fixing, with all six teams in this year's league monitored by anti-corruption officers.

Charges against Hasan

Hasan had been charged under the following provisions of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code:

2.1.4 Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.

2.4.4 Failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code.

2.4.5 Failing or refusing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any incident, fact, or matter that comes to the attention of a Participant that may evidence Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code by another Participant, including (without limitation) approaches or invitations that have been received by another Participant to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of this Anti-Corruption Code.

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