The Pakistan Cricket Boards Anti-Corruption Tribunal today banned Shahzaib Hasan for 12-months in the Pakistan Super League spot-fixing case. Shahzaib becomes the third Pakistan team batsman after Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif to be banned in the spot-fixing scandal that broke out last year in February at the start of the 2nd PSL. The Anti-Corruption Tribunal found Shahzaib guilty of violating three clauses of PCB's code of conduct for players and he was also fined rupees one million. Shahzaib, who had played for Pakistan during the team's 2009 World T20 triumph in England, was issued a charge-sheet suspended in March 2017 after being accused of having a hand in the spot-fixing scandal when he appeared for Karachi Kings in the PSL. His lawyer, Advocate Kashif Rajwana told the media in Lahore that his client was not punished for luring someone into spot-fixing "but for informing the board about violations after a delay". He said the ban will be applied from the time Shahzaib was suspended last year in March. The ban will end on March 17 but we have yet to decide whether to appeal the ban or not, he said. PCB Legal Adviser Taffazul Rizvi, however, made it clear that even after the ban ends, Hasan will only be able to play official cricket after due process under a rehabilitation programme. He claimed that the punishment awarded to the player would "set an example for other players". The charges against Shahzaib include directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any participant to breach the code of conduct, failure to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the participant to engage in corrupt conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code. Sharjeel and Khalid have been banned for five years each and have also lost their appeals against their bans. Sharjeel has now approached the Supreme Court in Islamabad to hear his case. The PCB had also suspended and banned Pakistani bowlers, Muhammad Irfan and Muhammad Nawaz for short periods for failing to disclose spot-fixing approaches on time while another Pakistan test batsman, Nasir Jamshed is also serving a 12-month ban for non-cooperation with the tribunal.
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