Reports: An employee of the Sharjah Stadium approached Sarfraz Ahmed for spot fixing

Pakistan cricket team skipper Sarfraz Ahmed has been winning fans all over the internet this Saturday (October 21) after turning down a spot-fixing offer from a bookie in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where Pakistan is currently taking on Sri Lanka in a 5-match ODI series.

According to Pakistan-based Geo News sources, the approach was made at a Dubai mall, just before Pakistan were due to play their 2nd ODI against the Sri Lanka on October 16. Sarfraz, who led Pakistan to ICC Champions Trophy 2017 title triumph over India, set the right example for players across the globe. This has gained special attention particularly because various Pakistan players have been caught in a fix due to spot-fixing allegations in the last one year.

Sarfraz not only declined the offer spot-on but also reported the matter to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Although the hunt for the bookie in question is still on, some major developments have reportedly been made.

A player was approached. As per rules he immediately reported to PCB who informed ICC. Matters are jointly in hand. No further comment.

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) October 21, 2017

The person in question has been identified as Irfan Ansari, a resident of Karachi who is an employee of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Interestingly, Irfan is a well-known figure among the cricket fraternity in UAE and Pakistan. He apparently also happens to know some members of the Pakistan cricket team, personally.

The news organisation did contact Irfan immediately to know about the shocking claims. As expected, he denied making such an offer and said that he “might have said something like that as a joke.” Nevertheless, the PCB has tightened security measures for the Pakistan team for the remainder of the tour and has also issued curfew orders to not step out of their hotel after a particular time.

Apart from that, Pakistani sports journalist Zainab Abbas also gave some insights about the incident. Sarfraz was asked to spotfix on informing about him and about things like bowling changes. She too added that the person in question was a high official with Sharjah cricket who knew Sarfraz from his U-19 days. Infact, he often supplied the team with net bowlers. The Anti-Corruption Unit was on their guard throughout the tour particularly because they were aware that two of Pakistan’s players would be approached. However, the captain was the target and casually approached by someone he already knew.