Sharjeel Khan might appeal against his 5-year ban

While the franchise based T2o leagues are talent attraction magnets all over the world, there have been many infamous incidents surrounding it. While the well-known incident of Indian bowler S Sreesanth forced the fans to question the sanctity of Indian Premier League, Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan tried to hamper the reputation of Pakistan’s T20 league, known as the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

But the latter faced a big blow when the three-member Anti-Corruption Tribunal formed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) handed him a five-year ban. For obvious reasons, the batsman was furious after this decision. His lawyer, Shaighan Ejaz stated that Sharjeel will be contemplating the option to appeal against their decision. He met the media few hours after Tribunal’s verdict came out.

Ejaz stated that his client may appeal within 14-days against the long-term ban. However, PCB’s legal advisor Tazfazzul Rizvi stated that 5 years is the minimum possible punishment given to Sharjeel, after looking at the crimes he has committed which don’t comply with the laws of the game. He also clarified that a 5-year ban does not necessarily mean that he will be able to don the jersey again after the stipulated period. He must convince PCB to get another nod.

“The tribunal accepted all five charges against Sharjeel but gave him the minimum possible punishment. It is also a fact that Sharjeel even after the completion of his ban will have to convince the PCB and authorities that he can be allowed back into competition,” said Rizvi.

Tougher punishment waiting for Khalid Latif

While Sharjeel has received a 5-year ban as his punishment, another culprit Khalid Latif is very likely to face a worse punishment. The tribunal is likely to increase the ban period because unlike Khan, he didn’t accept the authority of the tribunal through his lawyer. Also, Latif challenged the formation of the tribunal twice in the Lahore High Court.