I never did spot-fixing, clarifies suspended pacer Muhammad Irfan

LAHORE - Suspended fast bowler Mohammad Irfan on Saturday clarified his position and insisted that he was not involved in spot-fixing during Pakistan Super League season 2.

According to reports, the tall left-arm pacer said in his statement that he was never involved in any spot or match-fixing but admitted that he failed to inform Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) anti-corruption unit (ACU) about the offers that he got from bookies on a timely basis.

The fast bowler, in his statement, said, “For my cricket fans, some people are trying to portray that I was involved in spot-fixing. For records & clarification, it’s important to understand that I never ever did spot/match fixing. I only failed to report the bookies offer to relevant authorities (code 2.4.4) on a timely basis, for which I’ve sincerely apologised to my entire nation. It has also been proved that I did not delay things out of my ill intentions."

https://twitter.com/M_IrfanOfficial/status/850590584347676673

The cricketer cited demise of his parents as a reason for not reporting PCB about the spot-fixing offers on time.

'One of the pertinent reasons behind this delay was the demise of both of my parents in a short span of 4 months. I was just totally lost after their absence in my life' he said in his statement.

Irfan further added, “Please know that Pakistan is my identity and whatever I am today is because of this country. I cannot even think about trading its pride for anything of this world.”

It may be mentioned here that the second season of Pakistan Super League was hit by a major controversy as reports regarding spot-fixing surfaced during the first week of the tournament.

Initially, Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan were suspended and were ordered to pack bag for return to Pakistan but as the days passed, the probe was intensified.

Islamabad United’s Mohammad Irfan and Karachi Kings’ Shahzaib Hasan also faced a barrage of questions by the PCB during the tournament in Dubai last month but they were allowed to remain part of their respective teams.

However, the country's cricket board suspended the contract of Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Irfan for one year on violation of its anti-corruption code, last month.

Irfan was charged with two violations of the PCB’s anti-corruption code for failing to disclose to the board the approaches made by the bookies during Pakistan Super League 2017.