The International Cricket Council, on Saturday, re-instated former Pakistan cricketer Ata-ur-Rehman, who was given a life ban in 2000 for his alleged role in match-fixing.

"Ata-ur-Rehman has been re-instated in the official players list. He has been unbanned from May 2007," ICC [Images] President Percy Sonn said.

The official enquiry, carried out by the ICC Code of Conduct Commissioners Michael Beloff QC (Chairman), Richie Benaud and Ajmalul Hossain QC concluded that Rehman had suffered adverse family circumstances and was unlikely to make a comeback in international cricket.

Rehman was banned for life and fined Rs. 40,000 following the conclusion of the Qayyum Report in May 2000.

The judgment:

"No one doubts that match fixing was and is a scourge. However exclusion from the ICC Approved Players List for life could have grievous implications for some cricketers.  Ata-ur-Rehman has already been deprived of exploiting what would have been likely to be the best years of his cricketing life; whatever our verdict he is unlikely ever to resume a Test Match career of any kind.

"Accepting, as we do, that Judge Qayyum's findings of guilt are impregnable, we note that Ata-ur-Rehman was at the time of the offence a young man-- only 20 years of age, that he did not initiate the plan to fix a match, and that he was no doubt easily influenced by persons far senior to him in the team.

"He has had his hopes raised by two findings in his favour in internal Pakistan appeals, (although we should make it clear that we are not to be taken as endorsing the conclusions or the reasoning which underlay them).  He has suffered adverse family circumstances.

"He has not, as far as we know, been guilty of any material misbehaviour since 1994.  A reduction of the kind we contemplate is not likely to encourage others to fix matches: the deterrent force of a lengthy ban will remain unimpaired.

"While respect rightly continues to be paid to the judgments of sports regulatory bodies as to what are appropriate penalties for offences against sports codes, especially where dishonesty is involved, there is a concomitant recognition that penalties should be proportionate i.e. no more severe than is required by the object at which they are directed.

"Taking all these circumstances into account, some of which by definition could not have been in the mind of Judge Qayyum, we recommend that the life ban be reduced and that Ata-ur-Rehman be reinstated on the ICC Approved List from 1 May 2007."

ICC stressed that this decision does not represent a precedent in respect of other banned players and any subsequent applications for reinstatement would be considered on their individual merits.