Afghanistan Cricket Coach Noor Mohammad Lalai was banned for five years after facing match-fixing charges in the Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL). An Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) official confirmed the development on Monday, September 7.
As per reports, a national team player approached Noor in last year’s edition of the SCL under the name of work. It was actually a request to fix a few matches in the tournament.
Shedding bad light on Afghanistan Cricket
The incident comes at a time when Afghanistan cricket has started making a mark in international cricket with many of their players playing franchise T20 cricket all around the world including the Indian Premier League (IPL).
”This is a very disappointing and serious offence where a domestic-level junior coach is involved in the corruption of a high-profile domestic game in SCL 2019,” ACB’s senior anti-corruption manager Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi said on Monday.
Also Read: Yuvraj Singh To Play In BBL? His Manager Answers
Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi has also lauded the cricketer who came out in the open and reported the incident.
“I would like to place on record my grateful appreciation and thanks to the player who displayed true bravery and professionalism from the moment he reported this approach. He recognized it for what it was, rejected it and reported it. He then supported our investigation and subsequent tribunal,” he said.
The banned Afghanistan Cricket Coach was found guilty of ‘fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly, or being a party to any agreement or effort to fix.’
As per the regulations, the Afghanistan cricket coach admitted the charges of corruption stamped on him and agreed to the sanctions imposed on him by the Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing.
The Afghanistan Cricket Coach is a domestic assistant coach with the Kapisa province side and a full-time coach with Hampalana private cricket academy. The entire incident has brought the ACB into jeopardy.