PSL scandal: Expect grave punishment for the guilty: PCB chairman

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shehryar Khan in a press conference on Monday reiterated that exemplary punishments will be handed out to players accused of corruption if they are found guilty by a tribunal.

“The PCB took the lead in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) scandal, unlike the time when the International Cricket Council (ICC) had caught three Pakistani players involved in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal,” Shehryar said, commending the ‘efficiency’ of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Unit in dealing with last week’s PSL spot-fixing scandal.

The scandal saw Islamabad United’s Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif sent back home and a number of other players questioned as part of its investigation.

“We took action as soon as we had sufficient evidence. The two boys that were sent back to Pakistan took the same flight as I did and I told them how disappointed I was about their actions. The PCB does not take such scandals lightly,” Shehryar added.

Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif have been served show-cause notices, Shehryar told media. He also confirmed that some other players had also been probed. However, “Shahzeb Hasan and Zulfiqar Babar have been cleared and no action will be taken against them,” he added.

“Mohammad Irfan is still being investigated, however he has not been served a show-cause notice at the moment,” he said. However, he added that a notice may be sent to Irfan in the next couple of days.

“No one else is being investigated; neither by the PCB nor by the ICC, for any corruption charges,” he clarified.

“Once the investigation has been finalised, a disciplinary committee will be formed, headed by a senior judge. The committee will then hear what each of the accused has to say before deciding upon a punishment for them,” he added.

“I want to make it clear that the PCB wants deterrent punishments for anyone who is really guilty. Players should not think that they will be able to pursue their cricketing careers till four or five years after they have been punished,” Shehryar said.

He added that the PCB’s Anti Corruption regulations clearly state that if a player has been approached by anyone with an offer they are supposed to tell their security officer immediately.

“If the player does not report the incident to an official, they are considered guilty even if they did not plan to take the offer up,” he said.

“The PCB gives great importance to PSL, as it has united the nation,” he said, adding that everyone cares about what happens in the tournament and the nation is happy that the final will be played in Lahore.

“It is our responsibility to a execute a perfect final match with support from everyone, including the media,” he said.

ICC’s new constitution

While discussing ICC’s new constitution, Shehryar revealed that, “The new ICC constitution has been made from scratch; it is equitable, fair and democratic and Pakistan welcomes it.”

The PCB chairman further said that everyone knew that India will take issue with the new constitution, as it reduces India’s monetary returns from the sport.

“The returns may have been sliced, but India still has the largest share. For example, if the rest of the countries are getting eight per cent returns from ICC, India is still getting double that,” he added.

“It is a good thing that when the vote for the implementation of the constitution was called, countries including Pakistan voted for its immediate implementation, even though India and Sri Lanka voted for its deferral,” Shehryar said.

Source: Dawn