Umar Akmal: Pakistan batsman banned for three years over corruption charges

Akmal made a decision to represent himself at the hearing at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore on Monday, while the PCB was represented by its legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi.

"So Umar Akmal officially makes it to the list of idiots!"

A decade later then-Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned for five years in a spot-fixing case over an incident during the team's tour of England.

"The time period will be clear once we receive the detail order of the Justice Chauhan, " Rizvi told reporters in a video conference.

The decision was announced by a disciplinary committee after a brief hearing of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which charged the player with two breaches.

"The PCB doesn't take any pleasure in seeing a promising global cricketer being declared ineligible for three years on corruption charges", said PCB director of anti-corruption and security Asif Mahmood.

"I request all professional cricketers to stay away from the menace of corruption and immediately inform relevant authorities as soon as they are approached", Mahmood added.

Akmal, who promised a lot after making a hundred in New Zealand on his Test debut, failed to live up to the high expectations that came with some fine performances early in his career.

Akmal, the youngest of three brothers to play for Pakistan at full global level, score a Test century on debut aged 19 in 2009 and has played in 16 Tests, 121 one-day internationals and 84 T20 internationals.

His last appearance for Pakistan in a Test match was against Zimbabwe in September 2011 whereas he played his last ODI against Australia on March 31, 2019.

The 29-year-old Akmal has played 121 ODIs and 84 Twenty20 matches.