Dubai: United Arab Emirates (UAE) bowler Amir Hayat and batsman Ashfaq Ahmed have been imposed with five counts of breaching the game’s anti-corruption regulations and for the time being suspended with immediate effect, a statement by International Cricket Council (ICC) stated on Sunday (September 13).
The offences under the ICC anti-corruption unit (ACU) relate to match-fixing or spot-fixing, betting on cricket, misuse of inside information, failing to report an ‘approach’ or corrupt conduct to the ICC ACU, failing to co-operate with, or obstructing an investigation or proceedings.
Amir and Ashfaq both have been imposed with the following breaches of the ICC anti-corruption code:
Article 2.1.3: Seeking, accepting, offering or agreeing to accept any bribe or other reward to: (a) fix or to contrive in any way or otherwise to influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any international match; or (b) ensure for betting or other corrupt purposes the occurrence of a particular incident in an international match.
Article 2.4.2: Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit, (a) that the Participant knew or should have known was given to him/her to procure (directly or indirectly) any breach of the anti-corruption code, or (b) that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.
Article 2.4.3: Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) all gifts (whether monetary or otherwise), hospitality and/or other non-contractual benefits offered to a Participant that have a value of US$750 or more, whether or not the circumstances set out in Article 2.4.2 are present, save that there shall be no obligation to disclose any (i) personal gifts, hospitality and/or other non-contractual benefits offered by or on behalf of any close friend or relative of the participant, (ii) any food or beverage gifts or (iii) cricket hospitality gifts in connection with matches the participant is participating in.
Article 2.4.4: Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the participant to engage in corrupt conduct under the anti-corruption code.
Article 2.4.5: Failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any facts or matters that came to his attention that may evidence corrupt conduct under the code by another participant.
Earlier, Ashfaq has been suspended by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier in October 2019 but ‘no formal charges had been laid so far’.
As per the statement by ICC, the two players have 14 days from September 13 to respond to the charges. The ICC will not make any further comment in respect to these charges at this stage. Three other UAE players – former UAE captain Mohammed Naveed, batsman Shaiman Anwar, and pacer Qadeer Ahmed were also suspended on anti-corruption charges in October last year.
