PSL spot-fixing: Former Pakistan batsman Nasir Jamshed banned by PCB after failing to cooperate with investigation

Karachi: Former opener Nasir Jamshed has been handed a one-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) anti-corruption tribunal for failing to cooperate with the investigators in a spot-fixing case, which rocked the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year. [caption id=“attachment_4254043” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Nasir Jamshed. Reuters[/caption] The PCB said Jamshed, who resides in the UK, has been banned in connection with the PSL spot-fixing case but not charged with spot-fixing. PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi announced the verdict, saying the investigation into charges was still underway. “The tribunal has found the charges of non-cooperation with the inquiry and trying to obstruct the investigations, and deemed him ineligible from cricket for a year,” Rizvi told the reporters in Lahore on Monday. “PCB has not levelled any fixing charges on Jamshed as yet as there is another investigation underway against him in (the) UK,” he added. The PCB feels that Jamshed is a key player in the PSL scandal and set-up meetings of the suspected bookmaker Yousuf Anwar with the Pakistani players – Sharjeel and Khalid Latif. Rizvi said the PCB has evidence against Jamshed. “We don’t want him to get wise and try to cover his tracks but we have evidence against him. “As far as defamation case against us is concerned, Nasir should first let everyone know why his passport is still with the National Crime Agency in the UK and why is he on bail? And if the investigations against him are wrong, why doesn’t he file defamation charges against the NCA?,” asked Rizvi. The PCB’s tribunal has already banned Pakistani batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif for five years each in the same case, although the former has been given a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence. Rizvi said there would be no let-up in the PSL spot-fixing investigations and they would like Jamshed to appear before the tribunal and respond to the charges against him. “For now the tribunal has decided to ban him for one year and after that ban is completed he has to complete the due process of rehabilitation under the anti-corruption code.” Jamshed, who last played for Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup, said he would consider filing a defamation case against PCB for trying to falsely implicate him in the PSL spot-fixing case. The PCB anti-corruption unit last week called up fast bowler Muhammad Sami for questioning from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and sources said that the links have been found between suspected bookmakers working on the BPL and PSL. The PSL spot-fixing scandal surfaced earlier this year, on the opening day of the second PSL T20 in Dubai and the PCB immediately sent back Sharjeel and Khalid home after suspending them under the anti-corruption code. The PCB also banned Test players Muhammad Irfan and Muhammad Nawaz for failure to report approaches made to them. Both have completed their short bans and are back to playing domestic cricket again.