Umar Akmal admits being offered $200,000 to indulge in fixing

The Al-Jazeera sensational claims about widespread spot-fixing and match-fixing had only died down when another such happening surfaced, that can potentially rock the cricketing world. When it comes to corruption, the subcontinent belt has been particularly prone to the incidents, as in all the cases either the players have been involved, or the events have unfolded here.

The streak has continued as Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal has revealed that he was offered as much as $200,000 during a World Cup match to leave two particular deliveries in the course of the match. He revealed an even more concerning approach by a corrupted element as he was asked to deliberately skip a World Cup match by feigning an excuse in exchange for a significant sum of money.

Speaking to Pakistani sports correspondent Shoaib Jatt on the talk show Sports Action, a programme particularly known for the bold and unfiltered brand of questions put up by the host, Akmal was particularly candid when asked about match-fixing approaches in the light of a topic that has particularly crippled Pakistani cricket over the years, in the mid-nineties majorly and then providing another setback in 2010.

Umar Akmal claims he was offered $200,000 during World Cup to leave two deliveries, tells @Shoaib_Jatt that he was also offered money to skip games against India. I wonder if Akmal had ever reported these approaches, if not then this statement will get him in more troubles. pic.twitter.com/inIQLN5Np4

— Faizan Lakhani (@faizanlakhani) June 24, 2018

The revelation has particular implications, even when Akmal clearly states that he turned down all the lucrative offers on the account of integrity and sincerity to his homeland, the question arises whether he reported it to either his cricketing board or ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit, just like Sarfaraz Ahmed did last year.

Since this is the first time the particular approaches have been spoken of, the understanding is that Akmal failed to report the incidents he mentions that happen so frequently. If that is the case, it might be a breach of ICC's guidelines regarding any instance of mala fide intents associated with the sport that players have knowledge of.

This is the protocol administered by cricket's highest governing authority to crack down the deep-rooted corruption in the sport and hence players are obligated to report approaches of nature as such as Umar's so that they can be tracked down and the right measures be taken to prevent a repeat of such an activity.