PCB chief Ehsan Mani calls for new laws to punish match-fixers

Ehsan Mani, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, has asked the government to make the laws stricter surrounding the issues of match-fixing and spot-fixing. Mani was clear-cut in saying that the country’s cricket board doesn’t quite have the authority to delve deep into corruption cases.

It’s because they don’t have the permission to access bank accounts or call witnesses. Mani mentioned that the PCB has been closely studying the procedures adopted by countries like Sri Lanka to punish the perpetrators of the global sport.

I will not talk about individuals: Ehsan Mani

“I have already spoken to the government about this because other cricket playing nations like Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka have enacted laws that make match-fixing a criminal offence,” Mani was quoted as saying in India Today on Tuesday, April 14.

“We are studying their procedure closely and we also want corruption acts in cricket to be considered a criminal act,” he said.

For the time being Mani is ready to follow International Cricket Council’s (ICC) existing Anti Corruption Code (ACC) which allow players to return to the game after completing a ban and rehabilitation process.

“I will not talk about individuals but right now players who have completed bans and undergone rehab have the right to play again and it applies to everyone,” Mani added.

Over the years, Pakistan have had a number of players, who have been found guilty of the offence on the field. A couple of decades ago, Saleem Malik became the first cricketer from the country to be handed a life ban. Thereafter in 2010, the likes of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salmat Butt had been caught in spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test in England.

Though Butt and Amir have made comebacks, Asif’s career is as good as over. In the 2017 Pakistan Super League (PSL), the likes of Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were found guilty. It was only in the previous edition of the T20 tournament that the left-handed Sharjeel made his comeback.