Hong Kong bowler Irfan Ahmed charged with anti-corruption offence

Irfan Ahmed of Hong Kong who was due to feature at the World Twenty20 in India has been charged with an anti-corruption offence after being approached by one of the same alleged fixers who paid former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent to corrupt county matches in England. The International Cricket Council on Monday confirmed that Ahmed has been provisionally suspended.

The all-rounder, 26, faces a possible ban of between two and five years if found guilty before a tribunal of an allegation he failed to report to authorities an offer made to him by an alleged match-fixer. The offence is under Article 2.4.2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code (effective from 10 October 2012 to 10 November 2014) which states, “Failing to disclose to the ACSU (without undue delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of the Anti-Corruption Code.”

Ahmed has played six ODIs since his debut in 2008, as well as eight T20Is, the last of which was in July 2015. He had been in the top bracket for centrally contracted cricketers in Hong Kong in 2014-15 but was not retained for the 2015-16 season.

The cricketer has retained the Hong Kong-based Australian barrister Kevin Egan, who on Monday moved to play down the seriousness of the charge against his client. Egan mentioned that Ahmed had been charged with failing to report an approach from a former Pakistani cricketer in Hong Kong, and there was no suggestion at all he had been involved in corruption.

The former Pakistani cricketer who had struck up a close bond with Ahmed was believed to be Nasem Gulzar, who did not represent Pakistan. Gulzar, who left Hong Kong several years ago, is believed to have nurtured Ahmed while playing local cricket there. Gulzar was named in the perjury trial of Chris Cairns in London last October when Vincent claimed he fixed matches in the now defunct Indian Cricket League and in county cricket under the instruction of the former New Zealand all-rounder.