Dean Jones in support of Sharjeel Khan, says the batsman didn’t spot-fix

On Wednesday, the coach of Islamabad United Dean Jones at a tribunal meeting testified charges against Pakistan cricketer Sharjeel Khan, saying two dot balls played by Khan during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match do not give enough suspicion from a cricketing view.

The allegation is for the game played between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United the first match of the second edition of the PSL played in Dubai, in which Sharjeel scored a single off four deliveries including two dots. While the batsman’s lawyer said that Jones told the tribunal that Sharjeel replied to the deliveries on their merit and didn’t play an intentional dot.

Unintentional dots

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) subsequently accused him of inviting a spot-fixing plan and of failing to report to the authorities about any advances made to him. These charges carry a ban ranging from five years to a lifetime if found guilty.

Sharjeel’s lawyer Shaigan Aijaz, said: “Jones has told the tribunal that Sharjeel played dot balls on merit and that he has no reservations about Sharjeel’s shot selection.”

A second lawyer confirmed Jones’ statement, which was registered over Skype, also said that the former Australia star told the tribunal that Sharjeel could not score much towards the offside as that is his weak zone.

Fate of other players accused yet to be decided 

Spot-fixing is an attempt to determine the outcome of a specific over of a match rather than the final result, and thus more difficult to detect.

Bowlers Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Irfan, who also featured in the second edition of the tournament have been suspended for not reporting offers from fixers to the PCB. As far as the decision for Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif and Shahzaib Hasan is concerned, their fate is yet to be announced.

While the PSL has gained a lot of popularity in only two years of its inception, this menace has brought shame to the cricket loving country even after pulling off the finals of the tournament in Lahore successfully amidst high security concerns.