Nasir Jamshed charged by UK crime agency in spot-fixing scandal

LONDON: Cricketer Nasir Jamshed has been charged for his role in a spot-fixing scandal as part of an investigation by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA).

Jamshed, along with two other men, has been charged with bribery offences for their involvement in spot-fixing during tournaments organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board and Bangladesh Cricket Board.

The other two are British nationals Yousaf Anwar, 35, and Mohammed Ijaz, 33. They were arrested in February 2017, along with Jamshed.

On Wednesday, they were served with written summons by the Crown Prosecution Service charging them each with two counts of bribery. Their first appearance at Manchester Magistrates Court will be on January 15, 2019.

The NCA worked closely with the Pakistan Cricket Board and International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption units as part of the investigation.

Jamshed, who played 48 one-day internationals and two Tests for Pakistan, was suspended from all forms of cricket in February 2017 by the PCB for violating its anti-corruption code and handed a one-year ban in December that year for failing to co-operate with its investigation. 

In August 2018, the PCB banned him for 10 years for violating its anti-corruption code of conduct under Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4 and 2.4.4. 

An independent adjudicator in October upheld the 10-year ban on Jamshed. 

Batsmen Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were also handed five-year bans for their role in the scandal, while paceman Mohammad Irfan and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz received respective suspensions for 12 and two months.