LAHORE, Pakistan, April 27, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Controversial Pakistan
batsman Umar Akmal was banned Monday from all forms of cricket for three
years after pleading guilty to failing to report match-fixing approaches, the
country’s cricket board announced.
Umar, who turns 30 in May, withdrew last month from challenging the
charges.
Umar’s ban is effective from February 20, when he was provisionally
suspended by the board under its anti-corruption code, which states a player
must report being approached to fix games.
The decision was announced by a disciplinary committee after a brief
hearing of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Umar burst onto the scene with a century in his first Test in 2009, but
his career has been marred by disciplinary problems, resulting in various
bans and fines.
He was arrested in February 2014 after a scuffle with a traffic warden who
stopped him for a signal violation.
Umar last represented Pakistan in two Twenty20 internationals against Sri
Lanka in Lahore last year, falling to first ball ducks on both occasions.
He has so far played 16 Tests, 121 one-day games and 84 Twenty20s for
Pakistan.