Sarfraz Ahmed claims he turned down approach from bookmaker during SL series

Pakistan's long relationship with match-fixing looks to be ongoing but this time there seems to be some good news for the team. Sarfraz was approached by bookies to fix a game in the ongoing Sri Lanka series but the skipper reported the interaction to the Pakistan team management and anti-corruption and security officials in UAE. Pakistan are already reeling from a fresh fixing scandal in the PSL that saw Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif being banned for spot-fixing.

“The matter has been handled as per standard procedure but there is a lot of respect for Sarfraz, who as a captain and player, has set a great example for his teammates on how to avoid attempts to corrupt the game,” an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board said, reported PTI.

“ICC rules don’t allow us to name player (s) in such cases where approaches are reported but yes Sarfraz got an offer and he immediately reported the matter to the concerned officials, who have taken appropriate action.”

The man who approached Sarfraz and the Pakistani skipper an offer is based in Dubai and is known to most of the players. PTI also revealed that the team management reset curfew timings for the players after the incident.

“On the insistence of head coach Mickey Arthur, there was a bit of relaxation for the players during the ongoing series in the UAE and they were allowed to meet friends and go out for shopping and dinners but now strict procedures and timings have been enforced again,” the official said.