Pakistan Batsman Sharjeel Khan Handed 5-Year Ban for Spot-Fixing

The Pakistan anti-corruption tribunal found batsman Sharjeel Khan guilty of spot fixing and have slapped him with a 5-year ban. The 28-year old and fellow opening batsman Khalid Latif were suspended in February for violating the anti-corruption code set by the Pakistan Cricket Board. The charges were levied following a match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi where Khan scored a single from 3 deliveries and got out on the very next ball.

Latif had allegedly been the mastermind behind the deal and both players were summoned for not reporting the incident to the anti-corruption unit. According to Asghat Haider  “Sharjeel is banned for five years, which has two-and-a-half years suspended, We investigated all the charges and found them correct.” 5 years is the minimum sentence with a life ban being the maximum. The accused players are allowed to appeal before an independent party within a fortnight of the ruling. Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan, Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Nawaz were other players included in the investigation under multiple charges.

How this will affect Pakistan cricket, is anybody’s guess. But one thing is for sure that the PCB and the anti-corruption unit are trying their best to eliminate the spot-fixing scourge.