Umar Akmal files appeal in CAS over 18-month ban

Banned Pakistan middle-order batsman Umar Akmal has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), in Lausanne, Switzerland, to overturn his ban.

Akmal was initially banned for three years, over failure to report corrupt approaches, but an independent adjudicator reduced it to 18 months (running concurrently) on grounds of taking a compassionate view.

It must be noted that the Pakistan Cricket Board has also confirmed that it filed an appeal with CAS, against the reduction of Akmal’s ban for breaching the PCB Anti-Corruption Code.

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Under Article 7.5.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code, an appeal against the decision of the independent adjudicator lies exclusively before the CAS.

“The PCB takes matters relating to anti-corruption very seriously and firmly maintains a zero-tolerance approach. The PCB believes a senior cricketer like Umar Akmal was aware of the consequences when, after having attended a number of anti-corruption lectures at domestic and international level, having witnessed the consequences of indulging in corrupt conduct, still failed to report the approaches to the relevant authorities,” the PCB said in a statement.

“The PCB doesn’t take any pride in seeing a cricketer of Umar’s stature being banned for corruption, but as a credible and respectable institution, we need to send out a loud and clear message to all our stakeholders that there will be no sympathy whatsoever for anyone who breaches the regulations,” the statement added.

Akmal was charged for two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated incidents.

The right-handed batsman was provisionally suspended on February 20, 2020, just before the beginning of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season five.