By Muhammad Luqman
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed was approached by a bookie who made a spot-fixing offer during the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka in UAE, according to media reports.
Sarfraz rejected the offer and immediately reported the matter to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). It was reported that an “important” member of Pakistan squad had been approached by an international fixing syndicate, but the cricketer had foiled the spot-fixing bid and alerted the ACU officials.
The cricketer in question was skipper Sarfraz, who was shopping with his family at a mall in Dubai when he was approached by a bookie ahead of the second ODI against Sri Lanka.
The bookie came up to the captain, who first thought he was a fan requesting for a selfie. The man, however, made a spot-fixing bid to Sarfraz who turned it down on the spot and reported the approach to PCB’s security officials staying with the team.
Sarfraz also reported the approach to Director Security Colonel Azam in Lahore.
The board, following the incident, tightened security measures for the team and issued fresh instructions to the squad to stay away from irrelevant people.
PCB security officials also restored the curfew timings for the players in the aftermath of the approach. The curfew had been ended after Mickey Arthur took over as head coach.
The PCB has also forwarded the investigation into the spot-fixing approach to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit. According to reports, the ICC will interview players including Sarfraz and team management.
