Pakistan's perennial problem-maker Umar Akmal could face a lifetime ban if convicted of match-fixing charges unveiled Friday by Pakistan cricket authorities.
The 29-year-old old was provisionally suspended by the anti-corruption unit of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on February 20, the day when Pakistan Super League (PSL) commenced in Karachi. PCB said Umar violated its code on two counts.
“The PCB has charged Umar Akmal with two breaches of the anti-corruption code which relates to not reporting a fixing offer,” said a PCB release.
Under the PCB anti-corruption code a player is required to immediately report to a team manager or the officials of the anti-corruption unit when he receives an offer to fix a match.
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Under the code if a player is found guilty the penalty ranges from a suspension of six months to a lifetime ban, the release adds. Umar has 14 days (till March 31) to respond to the charges in writing.
Umar has a history of disciplinary problems, having been arrested and detained for a day after a brawl with a traffic warden in 2014. He was banned for three months after a spat with the then Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur in 2017.
Also, last month he escaped punishment after making rude remarks to a fitness trainer in Lahore. Often described as a talented yet undisciplined cricketer, Umar has played 16 Tests, 121 one-day internationals and 84 Twenty20 internationals since his debut in 2009.
He last played for Pakistan in the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka four months ago, failing to score in both matches. Umar's anti-corruption case is the latest of many that had hit Pakistan cricket in the last 20 years, resulting in life bans and fines on several players. The PSL was hit by a spot-fixing case in 2017 when openers Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were banned for five years.
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