PCB refers Umar Akmal matter to Disciplinary Panel Chairman

After determining that Umar Akmal has not requested for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal, the Pakistan Cricket Board has referred the matter to the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, former Lahore High Court Judge, the PCB said on Thursday.

The PCB made the determination after examining the contents of Akmal's reply in which no written request for a hearing before the Anti-Corruption Tribunal had been made for the purposes of contesting liability or level of sanction or both as per Article 4.6.6 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code.

In accordance with Article 4.8.1 of the Code, the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel, shall now issue a public decision confirming the offences under the Code specified in the Notice of Charge and imposing applicable sanctions.

The confirmation of the offences will be followed by levying applicable sanctions, which in Akmal's case range from a six-month suspension to a life ban.

"Until the Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel has announced his decision, the PCB will not comment on the matter," reads a PCB release.

Akmal had been provisionally suspended on February 20 and was issued the notice of charge on March 17. The PCB formally charged Akmal with two breaches of its anti-corruption code for two unrelated incidents on March 20.