Tainted Pakistan batsman Umar Akmar, who was handed a three years ban in April by the Independent Disciplinary Committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for failing to report corrupt approaches, has reportedly appealed against the decision of the governing body.
According to a report on the website of Pakistani media outlet Geo TV, the PCB will within the next 15 days appoint an independent arbitrator to hear the appeal.
The website also reported that Akmal has hired Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan’s law firm to help him in his case.
Akmal was charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents for failing to report spot-fixing offers during this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Chairman of PCB’s Independent Disciplinary Panel, Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, in his final report, had said that Akmal did not seem willing to remorse and nor did he apologise for failing to report approaches by bookies.
Justice Chauhan in his final report said, “It appears that he (Umar Akmal) is not prepared to show remorse and seek an apology, make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4., rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him.”
Chauhan imposed the ban of three years for each of the two charges of violating the PCB Anti-Corruption Code, which will be deemed to have come into effect from the date of Umar Akmal’s suspension i.e. February 20, 2020. Both periods of ineligibility will run concurrently, meaning Umar Akmal will now become eligible to return to cricket activities on February 19, 2023.
With IANS inputs