Pakistan cricketer Umar Akmal who has been a part of several controversies in the past has asked to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to accept his fine in instalments. Akmal who was suspended would consider himself lucky after his tenure was reduced to 12 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) but he was levied with a fine of PKR 4.25 million. However, reports have emerged that due to an apparent financial crisis, Umar Akmal has requested the board to accept the fine in instalments.
Umar Akmal was suspended at the start of 2020 after he failed to report multiple approaches of corruption. He was suspended for three months but it was later revised twice. Eventually, the reduced suspension period was down to 12 months provided he pays the fine within the due date.
Reports in the Pakistan media suggests that Umar reached out to the PCB stating that he would only be able to clear the fine in instalments as his financial state isn’t that great. However, the board has rejected the proposal and the plan of action will be interesting to see in the near future.
Any Pakistani cricketer who is found guilty under any corruption case, he/she has to undergo a rehabilitation process after serving the suspension. In Umar’s case, he was found guilty of violating article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-corruption code. Umar Akmal was subsequently banned from all forms of cricket and was additionally levied a fine of PKR 4.25 million.
Umar Akmal has been out of the international radar for quite a long time now. He last featured for Pakistan in a T20I encounter against Zimbabwe back in 2019. It will be testing times for Umar now to clear his fines.