The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the reduction of the ban on batsman Umar Akmal for an anti-corruption offense.
The middle-order hitter was suspended in April for failing to report on approaches to engaging in corrupt practices ahead of this year’s Pakistan Super League Twenty20 competition.
An independent judge last month reduced Akmal’s three-year suspension to 18 months, saying that Akmal’s confession that he failed to report on match-fixing approaches on two occasions had left “no doubt as to the veracity of the charges”.
The PCB said the decision to file an appeal was made after a review of the independent judge’s order, which said the ban was lowered “for having a compassionate opinion.”
“The PCB is not proud to see a cricketer of Umar’s stature banned for corruption, but as a credible and respectable institution, we must send a loud and clear message to all of our stakeholders that there will be no sympathy for anyone. that violates the regulations, ”the board said in a statement.
Akmal’s 18-month suspension was pushed back until February 20 when he was provisionally suspended and the 30-year-old will be able to play from August 2021.
He last played for Pakistan in a Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka in Lahore last year.
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