LAHORE, Pakistan: Controversial Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal was banned Monday from all forms of cricket for three years after pleading guilty to failing to report match-fixing approaches, the country’s cricket board announced.
Umar, who turns 30 in May, last month withdrew a challenge to the charges.
The batsman’s ban is effective from February 20, when he was provisionally suspended by the board under its anti-corruption code, which states a player must report being approached to fix games.
The decision was announced by a disciplinary committee after a brief hearing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which charged the player with two breaches.
“The PCB referred the matter to the chairman of the disciplinary committee after determining that the batsman had not requested a hearing,” said the board.
Asif Mahmood — the PCB’s anti-corruption and security director — said authorities took no “pleasure in seeing a promising international cricketer being declared ineligible” for three years on corruption charges, but defended the ban as necessary.
“I request all professional cricketers to stay away from the menace of corruption and immediately inform relevant authorities as soon as they are approached,” Mahmood added.
Umar was whisked away by his driver without speaking to the media after the sentence was delivered.
The batsman burst onto the scene with a century in his first Test in 2009, but his career has been marred by disciplinary problems, resulting in various bans and fines.
He was arrested in February 2014 after a scuffle with a traffic warden who stopped him for a signal violation.
Umar last represented Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals against Sri Lanka in Lahore last year, falling to first ball ducks on both occasions.
He has so far played 16 Tests, 121 one-day games and 84 Twenty20s for Pakistan.
Umar’s ban is the latest in a series of match- or spot-fixing punishments meted out to Pakistani players.
In 2000, former captain Salim Malik was banned for life and six other players — including greats such as Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis — were fined after a judicial inquiry on fixing.
A decade later then-Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned for five years in a spot-fixing case over an incident during the team’s tour of England.
The Pakistan Super League’s second edition in 2017 was also marred by a fixing scandal, resulting in a five-year ban on Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif.
Pakistan’s Umar Akmal gets three-year ban for match-fixing approach
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Pakistan’s Umar Akmal gets three-year ban for match-fixing approach
- The batsman burst onto the scene with a century in his first Test in 2009, but his career has been marred by disciplinary problems
- Umar’s ban is the latest in a series of match- or spot-fixing punishments meted out to Pakistani players
UAE dethrone Algeria as Jordan edge Iraq to reach Arab Cup semi-finals
- Jordan repeat Asian Cup triumph over Iraq with a 1-0 victory, Ali Olwan scoring from the spot for the 4th time in 4 consecutive matches
- UAE end Algeria’s reign as Arab Cup champions with a 7-6 penalty-shootout win after the game ends 1-1
DOHA: The UAE and Jordan booked their places in the Arab Cup semi-finals on a dramatic day of quarter-final action in which the defending champions were eliminated and a regional rivalry was renewed.
Jordan repeated their Asian Cup triumph over Iraq with another narrow victory, as Ali Olwan extended his remarkable streak of scoring from the spot to four consecutive matches.
His first-half penalty was the only goal in a cagey encounter with few clear-cut chances for either side. Jordan dominated early on but were dealt a blow when star forward Yazan Al-Naimat was forced off with a knee injury.
Iraq improved after the break, with the talismanic Ali Jasim injecting a sense of urgency and twice drawing smart saves from Yazeed Abulaila, first with a fierce long-range strike and then a driven effort moments later.
Jordan nearly sealed the victory with a second goal late on when Mohannad Abu Taha, who scored with a spectacular long-range strike earlier in the tournament, hammered another powerful attempt just wide.
Nevertheless, the Jordanians held firm to set up a semi-final clash with Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The second quarter-final delivered even more drama, as the UAE ended Algeria’s reign as Arab Cup champions with a sudden-death, penalty-shootout win.
Algeria dominated the opening half and twice found the net, only for both goals to be ruled out. They finally made their pressure count just 50 seconds after the restart, when Adil Boulbina fired home after Yacine Brahimi’s strike was parried into his path.
The UAE had struggled to gain a foothold in the game but hit back through Bruno, who converted a pinpoint, inswinging cross from Yahya Al-Ghassani midway through the second half.
As Algeria pressed for a winner they were nearly punished at the end of regulation time when Lucas Pimenta’s fine header forced a sharp save from Farid Chaal.
Extra time offered chances for Brahimi and substitute Zakaria Draoui to put Algeria ahead again, but the breakthrough never came.
And so to the shootout, in which the UAE goalkeeper, Hamad Almeqbaali, denied Mohammed Khacef before Richard Akonnor coolly dispatched the decisive kick to make it 7-6 on penalties and set up a semi-final clash with Morocco, also on Monday.
