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PSL 2017: Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif deny spot-fixing allegations

Pakistan's national team batsmen, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif have denied any involvement in spot-fixing during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in their initial response to the showcause notice issued to them by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were accused of spot-fixing in PSL 2017 © Getty Images
Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were accused of spot-fixing in PSL 2017 © Getty Images

Karachi: Pakistan‘s national team batsmen, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif have denied any involvement in spot-fixing during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in their initial response to the showcause notice issued to them by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The two have been charge-sheeted by the board after being suspended under the PCB’s anti-corruption code and being sent back home from Dubai during the PSL. Several charges have been levelled against them including having contacts with bookmakers and trying to spot-fix in matches. But sources close to the two players said they had through their lawyers denied all charges. PSL 2017: Points table & team standings

“The two have said that they met with one person named Yousuf on the request of former Pakistan opener Nasir Jamshed,” one source told PTI. “They have said that they only went to meet with Yousuf considering him a fan but when he made offers to them they walked away,” the source said. Since the two didn’t report the offers to the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Unit they are liable to be charged as the code of conduct carries penalities for not reporting an approach. The PCB after receiving their detailed replies will move to set up a three-member tribunal which will then hold hearings to decide on the case. The tribunal will be headed by a Judge. Pakistani cricket fans have been disappointed after learning about Sharjeel’s suspension under the anti-corruption code as the left-handed opener had cemented his place in all three formats as a hard-hitting batsman.

The Hyderabad based batter scored three half-centuries in the one-day series in Australia and also scored 39 in his Test debut in the third Test at Sydney. He remains the only batsman to have scored a century in the Pakistan Super League T20 event. Khalid Latif, who hails from Karachi, had also cemented his place in the national T20 side since last year.

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