ICC to take Umar Akmal's comments seriously

Pakistan discarded batsman Umar Akmal has been involved in many controversies in his career. In a shocking revelation, he said that he receiving a huge sum of money to spot-fix a game against India in the 2015 World Cup game. Team India won that encounter quite easily by 76 runs, thanks to Virat Kohli’s century.

The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman said in a TV interview that he was asked to leave two balls to get a sum of $200,000. He also stated that he was offered money to skip matches against India. However, he went on to add that he is committed to playing for the country and never went ahead to take such offers.

“I was once offered $200,000 for leaving two deliveries. Similar offers have been made in the past as well. In the matches with India I’ve been told to make some excuse and opt out of the game for which I’d be paid but I have told those people that I am committed to Pakistan and to not approach me ever with such offers,” Akmal said in the TV interview.

ICC launches probe

The International governing body of cricket, ICC stated that they are aware of the interview and ready to take his comments seriously. The body has launched an investigation and wants to speak with the ousted batsman as soon as possible. According to ICC anti-corruption code 2.4.4 and 2.4.5, players should report all the corrupt approaches made to them and failure of doing so will carry a minimum punishment of five years.

“The ICC is aware of a recent interview given by Umar Akmal. Whilst we not that there is no suggestion that any fix actually took place, the ICC is reliant on players to report any corrupt approaches in a timely manner,” said an ICC spokesman as quoted by Geo TV. “We are taking Akmal’s comments very seriously. We have launched an investigation and wish to speak to Mr Akmal as matter of urgency,” the spokesman concluded.

For more news and developments, stay tuned on CricTracker.com.