PCB wants life bans on Sharjeel, Latif

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking life bans on Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif for their alleged role in spot-fixing during the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Dubai. PCB legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi said the Board was taking all corruption and fixing issues as zero tolerance and no leniency would be shown to any player found guilty. "Yes, we are pushing the tribunal to impose a life ban on both the players. We have given enough compelling evidence against them and about their involvement in the spot-fixing case,” Rizvi said. The tribunal headed by a retired Lahore High Court judge is expected to give its verdict on Sharjeel Khan later this month. It has also directed the lawyer for Khalid to submit a final written submission by August 9. The tribunal has rejected two of the four miscellaneous applications submitted by the legal counsel for Latif. The tribunal said in a press release that if Latif’s counsel was not able to submit a final reply until August 9, then "the matter will be decided on the basis of material already available on record, without granting any further adjournment within 30 days as mandated by the Code for Participants." The two batsmen who were sent back from Dubai during the second edition of the PSL from Dubai after being suspended under the anti-corruption code are accused of meeting with bookmakers and agreeing to spot fix in the matches. The Board also suspended four other players in the PSL case including left-arm pacer, Muhammad Irfan who is serving a 12-month ban after admitting to not reporting approaches by bookmakers, Muhammad Nawaz (who completed a two-month ban last week for the same offense), Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed.