SPORTS: Controversial Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal, who made a blockbuster entry with a century in his first Test match in 2009, has been banned from playing all formats of cricket for a period of 3 years on corruption charges by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Disciplinary Panel on Monday.
The PCB Anti-Corruption officials had charged Umar in two separate cases of not reporting an approach made to him to spot fix matches in the Pakistan Super League 5.
Umar, who was provisionally suspended on Feb 20 and barred from playing in the Pakistan Super League for his franchise Quetta Gladiators, has been charged for breaching Article 2.4.4 of PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code.
Umar had until March 31 to respond to the show cause notice sent to him by the PCB but he had decided not to challenge it.
The PCB had then referred the matter to the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, former Lahore High Court Judge.
Umar is the second high-profile cricketer banned on corruption charges after opening batsman Sharjeel Khan, who was handed a 5-year ban (half of it suspended) in 2017 for his role in the spot-fixing scandal that marred the PSL earlier that year.
Umar Akmal’s career has been marred by disciplinary problems because of which he had to face a number of bans and fines. Umar last represented Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in Lahore last year, where he failed miserably to first ball ducks on both occasions. So far, he has played 16 Tests, 121 one-day games and 84 Twenty20s for Pakistan.