Veteran spinner Danish Kaneria lashes out at PCB for halving Umar Akmal's three-year ban

Danish Kaneria has left no stone unturned in expressing his disappointment after Umar Akmal's three-year ban was reduced to one-and-a-half years. Akmal had received a three-year ban earlier this year by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)  for failing to report a match-fixing approach. The tainted Pakistani batsman will be eligible to return to action in August next year. Nonetheless, this has not gone down well with Kaneria and he has vented out his frustration at his national cricket board.

'Zero Tolerance policy only...': Umar Akmal

Taking to the micro-blogging site, the veteran spinner wrote that Zero Tolerance policy is only applicable to him and not others (including the likes of Mohammad Amir, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Akmal, etc.) He then asked PCB to justify why only he had received a life ban and not others and also asked whether the policies are applicable only on cast, colour and powerful background.

Umar Akmal's ban halved

Controversial Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal got relief on Wednesday as his ban was halved by an independent adjudicator. The player, who already was on the receiving end of a three-year ban by the PCB, saw it reduce to half, i.e. a period of 18 months. The latest ruling means that Umar Akmal will now be suspended effectively from February 2020 till August 2021.

The decision to reduce Umar Akmal’s ban came to light after retired Former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, who was serving as an independent adjudicator, had earlier reserved his judgment after listening to the arguments on Monday. The ban reduction will serve as a boost for the 30-year-old, who had decided to appeal his three-year ban on May 19.

Umar Akmal’s appeal was based on the argument that players found guilty of similar infractions were given punishments that were less harsh. Mohammad Irfan was banned for six months in 2017 while Mohammad Nawaz was given a two-month-ban. The latest decision means that Umar Akmal’s suspension, which started in February ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), will now stay in effect until August 2021.

READ: Umar Akmal's Ban Reduced From 3 To 1.5 Years By PCB, Can Resume Cricket From Aug 2021