LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is most likely to hand over charge-sheets to Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing at the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL), well-informed sources in the PCB told Dawn.

“Both the cricketers recorded their audio statements at the PCB headquarters on Wednesday and they will probably be given the charge-sheet by Thursday,” the sources said.

“The PCB has enough evidence against the two cricketers and they cannot escape from heavy punishments. The news that Khalid is ready to turn approver has no value as the case is very serious and the PCB has also enough proofs against the facilitator, Nasir Jamshed,” they added.

Nasir on verge of life ban

“It seems Nasir will be given a lifetime ban,” the sources further said.

In a media report, Khalid was quoted as saying that he had informed the PCB on Feb 8, just one day before start of the PSL, that there had been a plan to corrupt the PSL and he had been ready to unfold it for the PCB as an approver.

Meanwhile, both the cricketers first arrived at the National Cricket Academy on Wednesday and were secretively shifted to the PCB offices.

Though electronic and print media had reached the NCA, they were trapped as the PCB shifted the two cricketers from the NCA to the PCB offices quietly when the media was in converstaion with PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan.

Shaharyar told newsmen that a trial court would be set up by the PCB’s Anti-Corruption unit and a retired judge would decide their fates if the two did not confess their crime.

He said Sharjeel and Khalid will be given one to two weeks to submit their replies against the charge-sheets, after which the board will level formal charges.

The chairman said the PCB had performed its duties fairly as just before start of the first match of the PSL on Feb 9 both the competing teams (Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi) were given a detailed briefing about the consequenes of getting involved in corrupt practices.

Meanwhile, the PCB also decided to cancel the round-table conference with noted past cricketers due to the PSL scam.

The conference was to be held here on March 6 and 7 in the backdrop of Pakistan’s poor performance on the tours to Australia and New Zealand and to seek suggestions from former players to improve Pakistan cricket.

Now, the PCB will conduct working group sessions with ex-cricketers in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to seek their views on cricket structure in the country.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2017