Suspension of Muhammad Irfan

There were 32 days between the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) provisional suspensions of Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan and that of their Islamabad United teammate Mohammad Irfan. Arguably the board most plagued by the scourge of fixing, the PCB was commendably swift in taking action against the Pakistan T20I batting duo but many believe they should also have suspended Irfan at the same time.

The lanky pacer was in fact released by Islamabad as action was expected against him, before he was allowed to join his side again and told that he was free to play. The PCB were incredibly transparent during the early stages of the investigations, wisely sharing and even over-sharing information in order to cut down on the ‘reports’ that quote ‘sources’ and run clearly false news in a bid to gain ratings and clicks. Now, as the cases are being heard by the formed benches, the case has rightly been shifted behind closed doors; shutting off all information.

The sudden acceptance of Irfan to breaching the PCB’s code of conduct therefore came as a surprise to many, with the board being just as swift to suspend Irfan as they were to suspend the other two. News has also followed that other players are still under investigation. This has called into question the integrity of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and many believe its popularity will take a hit because of this. However, the board has handled this matter superbly so far; sharing all the information that needs to be shared as soon as they can share it.

The board must be lauded for weeding out these culprits as promptly as they have and for promising to mete out the harshest of punishments to set an example of all found guilty in this scandal. By going through the due process, the PCB is ensuring that players that are guilty don’t get away scot-free due to any legal technicalities or loopholes. They have waited for ‘inconclusive proof’ before taking action, they are providing the players all opportunity to make their case and they have set up an independent body to decide their fates.

The board has done all that it could and cricket will be better off for their actions.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 16^th, 2017.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.