Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has been charged on Friday for two separate breaches of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption Code.
Akmal, who was provisionally suspended on February 20 and barred from playing for his franchise Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League, has been charged for failing to disclose corrupt approaches to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department.
He was issued a charge sheet on March 17 and has been given time to respond until March 31. This was a breach under 2.4.4 for PCB’s anti-corruption code.
According to the Anti-Corruption Code Article 6.2, the range of permissible period of ineligibility for those charged and found guilty for a violation of Article 2.4.4 is a minimum of six months and a maximum of a lifetime.
The 29-year-old has had a chequered career since making his debut in August, 2009 and has since just managed to play 16 Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20 Internationals for his country despite making a century on Test debut.
His last appearance came in last October during a home T20 series against Sri Lanka and before that he also played in the March-April, 2019 one-day series against Australia in the UAE.
Akmal who has a penchant for getting into trouble with the establishment was reprimanded and cleared in February just before the PSL for allegedly misbehaving with a trainer during a fitness test in Lahore.
The PCB had then said that the incident occurred as a result of a misunderstanding. Akmal has faced disciplinary action most notable being when clashed with former head coach Mickey Arthur in Lahore during a practice session and accused him of using abusive language.
He was also sent back from the 2017 Champions Trophy in England after failing a fitness test. Akmal claimed Arthur didn’t want him in the team.
Another former head coach, Waqar Younis had also in a much publicised confidential report which was leaked out advise the board to drop Akmal from the Pakistan team and send him to play domestic cricket for at least a year to gain cricketing discipline.
The talented batsman who scored a double century in the final the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in December in Karachi has gained the reputation of shooting himself in the foot. Since he was suspended by the PCB last month, Akmal has kept a low profile and stayed away from the media.