Sufficient evidence against Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif: PCB

Tafazzul Rizvi, the legal advisor of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)  has said that the investigators have managed to secure enough evidence against the two Pakistani batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif under spot-fixing and other charges. The duo has been suspended by the PCB from any involvement in the game after they were interrogated by the Anti-Corruption Unit during the Pakistan Super League.

He said that the two players are trying to use legal terms to save themselves and are thus misguiding the tribunal. However, the lawyers of both players have insisted that the PCB has insufficient evidence against their clients.

On the other hand, the PCB’s ACU has also summoned Pakistani all-rounder Muhammad Nawaz for questioning which will take place on May 11.

In a recent interview, Rizvi said that “available evidence in the form of telephone conversations, messages etc had undergone forensic testing and were found enough to convince the tribunal, formed to hear the spot-fixing charges and take action against the players.”

Nawaz’s summon is considered to be related to an incident in Australia which took place when Pakistan toured Australia during last winter.

Also, according to some sources within the board, the spot-fixing probe might take an interesting turn when Pakistan’s Test opener Nasir Jamshed will record his statement to the ACU on skype from London. Khalid Latif made a stand that he had not met a bookmaker but the bookmaker had met him.

However, to this Rizvi said, “Even if the bookmaker met him why didn’t he report this immediately to the authorities and this in itself is a punishable offence under the anti-corruption code.”

The lawyer defending the case for Latif has objected the action taken against his client saying that all three members of the tribunal have been associated with the board in the past. The tribunal is headed by retired Justice Asghar Haider, who has worked as legal advisor for the PCB, Pakistan’s Test captain Wasim Bari, who has been a part of the board in various capacities. It also includes Lt General (retd) Tauqir Zia, who was the chairman of the board between 1999 and 2003.