Pakistan batsman Khalid Latif said on Friday he will contest the charges of spot-fixing against him after appearing before a three-member anti-corruption tribunal set up by the country's Cricket Board.
Khalid and his Pakistan and Islamabad United teammate Sharjeel Khan have both now appeared before the tribunal in Lahore and decided to contest the spot-fixing charges against them in the corruption scandal that rocked the Pakistan Super League.
The tribunal, which is headed by a former judge of the Lahore High Court, will now carry out an inquiry and final hearings on a day to day basis from May 19 to decide the cases against the two Pakistan players.
Latif, the only Pakistani batsman to score a double hundred in a domestic one-day match, appeared before the tribunal today with his lawyer and pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.
Suspended along with Sharjeel since last month and sent back from the PSL in Dubai, both players have been pleading their innocence while the PCB says it has enough evidence against them.
The tribunal, which also includes former Test captain, Wasim Bari and former Chairman of the board Lt Gen (retd) Tauqir Zia, has now given the PCB lawyers the date of April 14 to submit evidence against the players.
Latif has been directed to respond to the charges by May 5, to which the PCB may offer a rebuttal by May 10 after which a final hearing will commence on May 19.
Latif, 31, who has appeared in five ODIs and 13 T20 internationals has been charged under different articles of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants 2015.
The charges relate to fixing and betting besides failing to report approaches to the PCB. The PCB has so far suspended five players including Sharjeel, Khalid, Muhammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan and Nasir Jamshed in the PSL spot-fixing scandal.
A team of PCB ACU and legal department officials is scheduled to fly to London next month to interview and question Nasir who is settled in the UK.
Earlier this week, tall left-arm pacer Irfan pleaded guilty for failing to report an approach by bookies.
The PCB suspended his central contract for one year and fined him Rs one million but the suspension can be reviewed after six months.
Image: Pakistan's Khalid Latif
Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images.
