Shafiqullah Shafiq of the Afghanistan cricket team has been banned for a six years by the ACB-Afghanistan Cricket Board.
The decision was announced after Shafiqullah confessed of having been involved in match-fixing during both the Afghanistan and Bangladesh Premier Leagues in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Further, the ACB banned him for breaching four articles from the Anti-Corruption Code.
Recently, such a ban came from the neighboring country, Pakistan, as well where the PCB-Pakistan. Cricket Board banned their talented all-rounder, Umer Akmal, for a period of three years. He had taken part in match-fixing during the 2020 PSL-Pakistan Super League.
Senior manager of ACB Anti-Corruption Department, Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi issued a statement, explaining that Article 2.1.1 – 2.1.3 and 2.4.4 of the Anti-Corruption Code, had been violated.
The report issued by the official investigating team mentioned that not only did Shafiqullah fail to report any approaches of match-fixing to the concerned authorities, but also accepted various offerings. Furthermore, the report mentioned that he was also involved in endeavors of tempting a fellow cricketer to get involved in match-fixing scandals. Hence, keeping these charges in consideration the ACB banned him for a period of six years i.e. till 2026.
Quraishi also said that their coverage of all illegal activities like these, is much more than that what is thought of. Thereby, the ban imposed on Shafiqullah is a clear-cut message to all players, that strict action would be taken against all those which contravene the principles laid down by ACB Board, the statement added.
