Umar Akmal Likely to Face a Three-Match Ban

Umar Akmal is likely to get slapped with a three-match ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board’s inquiry committee.

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, an informed source at PCB revealed this information to a local media outlet.

The official said that Umar Akmal is likely to face a three-match ban along with a fine as recommended by the inquiry committee, headed by Director Cricket, Haroon Rasheed.

He may also face other penalties as well. For a certain period of time, no NOCs will be furnished for Akmal to play for foreign leagues.

The harsh consequences faced by the Pakistani cricketer came about due to his violation of three clauses of the code of conduct for players.

The PCB official said:

The committee, after interviewing Umar and others, found the batsman guilty of breaching three clauses and it has now sent its recommendations to the PCB chairman Najam Sethi for further action.

The Violation

Last month, Umar got involved in a dispute with Pakistan’s head coach Mickey Arthur at the National Cricket Academy. The dispute arised after Umar was not given permission to use the services at the NCA as per PCB’s rules.

Arthur was later accused by Umar Akmal of abusing him.

However, the official ensured that the findings of the inquiry committee, including the legal adviser of the board, focused only on whether Umar was to be held responsible for violating clauses of the players’ code of conduct.

The source said:

It didn’t reflect on the allegations made by Umar against Arthur. It has found the batsman guilty of breaching the code and left it up to the chairman to decide whether a larger inquiry is required for the allegations of use of abusive language by Arthur,”

Umar breached three clauses by going directly to the media and criticizing the head coach.

The Final Decision

The official says that the final decision lies in the hands of the PCB chairman. He can either accept the recommendations put forward by the inquiry committee and penalize Umar with a three-match ban and a fine or punish him with the maximum punishment asserted for breaching relevant clauses.

According to the official, “The maximum punishment for these breaches is a five-match ban and a fine of up to five million rupees. Sethi also has the authority to reduce the penalties recommended by the inquiry committee.”