Pakistan's Nasir Jamshed sentenced to 17 months in jail after admitting to bribery charges

Former Pakistan batsman Nasir Jamshed has been sentenced to 17 months in jail for his role in spot-fixing scandal in which he conspired to bribe fellow cricketers in Pakistan Super League (PSL). 33-year-old, who was arrested along with British nationals Yousef Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz, had originally denied being involved in a plan to encour players to underperform deliberately in PSL 2018 game between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai. However, Jamshed pleaded guilty during a court hearing in Manchester last December. Anwar, 36, and Mohammed Ijaz, 34, also had admitted to offering financial advants to PSL players with intention of inducing m to perform improperly following an investigation by National Crime ncy (NCA).

Nasir Jamshed sentenced to 17 months

Jamshed, who was handed a ten-year ban by PCB in August 2018, copped 17 months, while Anwar was sentenced to 40 months in prison and Ijaz 30 months. After Manchester Crown Court handed sentence, Jamshed's wife Samara Afzal issued a statement, narrating "pain and humiliation" that her husband's actions had caused to ir family.

"Nasir could have had a bright future had he worked hard and been committed to sport than gave him so much, but he took a short cut and lost everything, his career, status, respect and freedom," she was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. 

"He would have got UK nationality and played county cricket, and he threw his chance away.

"He would do anything to turn clock back and t lose everything, especially his daughter who he is very close to, but it's too late for him. I hope all cricketers look at his example as a deterrent against corruption."

In December last year, it came to light that it was an undercover police officer, who had uneard evidence by pretending to be a member of a corrupt betting syndicate. policeman's efforts n led to discovery of an attempted fix in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) late in 2016 and an actual fix in PSL in February 2017. In both cases, an opening batsman in Twenty20 tournaments had agreed to t score runs from first two balls of an over in return for payment.

Jamshed was said to be target of bribery in Bangladesh before turning perpetrator as a go-between urging or players to spot-fix in a PSL match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai on February 9.  He had persuaded Sharjeel Khan to play out two made-to-order dot-balls off first two balls of Islamabad's second over. Sharjeel was later banned for five years by PCB, as was Khalid Latif, ar player whom Jamshed had recruited for a subsequent fix. Britain's National Crime ncy (NCA) also said how Anwar and Ijaz had developed a system by which y would charge USD 39,450 per fix with half of sum going to player.  Jamshed has played 2 Tests, 48 ODIs and 18 T20 Internationals for Pakistan.