PCB imposes 500k fine on five players, Rafayi warned

Probe committee gives verdict on ‘Disapproved Cricket’ played with Kaneria.

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has fined five internationals for playing with Danish Kaneria, who is currently serving a life ban in relation to charges of spot-fixing, in a local tournament in the US.

The board had formed a three-member committee to investigate the participation of Pakistani cricketers in the Friendship Cup T20 – considered Disapproved Cricket – played in Houston, as well as the appearance of Director Marketing PCB Badar Rafayi at the same event.

The committee comprised Director Domestic Cricket Intikhab Alam, GM Vigilance and Security, Colonel (retd) Azam Khan and Manager International Cricket Usman Wahla.

“Wahab Riaz, Fawad Alam, Nasir Jamshed, Abdul Razzaq and Shahzeb Hasan admitted that they had participated in an event, that under the ICC Regulations, is considered Disapproved Cricket,” stated the official PCB press release.

“Their contention of not being aware of the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) requirement was not accepted by the committee, which recommended that each of them should be fined Rs500, 000.

“As Kaneria is serving a life ban and also did not appear at the hearing nor did he respond to notices in writing, the committee referred his case to the Integrity Committee for further suitable action against him.”

For Rafayi, the panel ruled that he was neither involved in the organisation nor responsible for inviting players to the event. It was found that the official had only attended one match briefly, while his subsequent photograph with Kaneria was a case of poor judgement.

‘Rafayi given clearance after thorough crosscheck’

The Express Tribune has learnt that the PCB had followed the case of Rafayi’s presence in the event closely, with everything properly crosschecked before giving him the clean chit.

“I can confidently say that the PCB did everything to crosscheck why Rafayi was present at the tournament,” said a senior PCB official. “We didn’t find any wrongdoing on his part, such as recruiting players or getting sponsors for the event.

“He was in the US to meet his family and pay his taxes, during which he received an invitation to watch the match. This is how he went in; but the board has clearly told him to avoid such incidents in the future because he holds a high-profile post.”

Players sought NOCs for T20 leagues in UAE: Official

The official further clarified that the players had asked the PCB for NOCs to play different T20 leagues in Dubai and other areas of the Middle East, but not the US.

“These players were only issued NOCs to take part in different leagues in the Middle East,” stated the official. “They broke the PCB’s trust by playing in the US without permission, which is unacceptable.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2014.

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