Pakistan cricketer reports match fixing approach to officials

Pakistan cricket authorities on Thursday said a player has reported being approached by a bookmaker during an ongoing domestic tournament, as officials celebrated a rare win in the fight against match fixing in sports.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the unnamed player reported the matter to the body’s anti-corruption unit during the ongoing National T20 Cup, which is currently being held in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

"I have complimented the player for following the PCB anti-corruption code and reporting the approach," said Asif Mahmood, the cricket body’s anti-corruption and security director.

Mahmood added that cricket authorities had also reached out to federal law enforcement officials over the incident.

Under the PCB code all players and officials must report any instance of being approached to gamble or tamper with the outcome of a sporting event. The failure to report such an approach can result in a fine and ban.

Pakistan has a long history of involvement in match fixing, leading to bans and fines on several top players in the last two decades.

Former captain Saleem Malik and pace bowler Ata-ur-Rehman were banned for life after a judicial inquiry conducted between 1998-2000.

The investigation was ordered after Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May alleged Malik offered them a bribe to under perform during a tour of Pakistan in 1995.

Six players including Pakistani greats Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq were also fined.

In 2010, the cricket world was rattled after three Pakistan players -- then Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir -- were banned and jailed in a spot fixing case linked to Pakistan's tour of England.

That same year Pakistan's leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was charged in a spot fixing case during a county match and later banned for life.

The Pakistan Super League -- a Twenty20 domestic tournament -- was hit by a fixing case in 2017 leading to bans on openers Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed.

Jamshed was jailed in Britain earlier this year and is likely to be deported next week.

Plagued and stigmatised over the repeated controversies, the PCB last year launched efforts to criminalise fixing.