PCB demands explanation from Umar Akmal

Right-handed Lahore Qalandars batsman said in TV interview that he has been approached several times

BENGALURU: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is to seek an explanation from wicketkeeper batsman Umar Akmal after he said in a television interview that he had been approached to fix matches.

The PCB's anti-corruption unit has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday after Akmal, who has made 116 ODI appearances, told a local channel that he had been offered $200,000 to "leave two balls alone" in a World Cup match against India in 2015.



The 28-year-old also said he regularly received offers to fix games against India and that he had always rejected them, but he could be in hot water with both the PCB and International Cricket Council if he failed to report such approaches.

Match-fixing has become a major concern for the sport in recent years, and a high-profile incident involving Pakistan on tour to England in 2010 saw Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir found guilty of being part of a plot to bowl no-balls at pre-arranged times during a Test at Lord’s.



The Pakistan Super League was also rocked by spot-fixing issues when Islamabad United openers Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were found guilty of wrongdoing during the tournament’s second edition.