KABUL: Afghanistan’s cricket board said on Wednesday it had banned former top-order international batter Ihsanullah Janat for five years after he admitted to “corrupt activities” in a domestic league.

Three other unidentified players were also under investigation over match-fixing, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said.

Janat, 26, the younger brother of former Afghan skipper and selector Nawroz Mangal, was regarded as a talented player with three Tests, 16 One-day Internationals and one Twenty20 International under his belt.

“Janat has been banned from all forms of cricketing activities for five years following breaches of the ACB and the ICC [International Cricket Council] Anti-Corruption Codes during the second edition of the Kabul Premier League 2024,” the ACB said in a statement.

“Janat has admitted to the charges and confessed to his involvement in corrupt activities.”

The ban on Janat takes effect immediately, the ACB said.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2024