Match fixing controversy: UAE cricketers Amir Hayat and Ashfaq Ahmed banned for betting and match fixing by ICC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday banned two UAE players Amir Hayat and Ashfaq Ahmed for eight years after being found guilty of attempting to fix matches in their country’s T20 World Cup qualifying round in collaboration with an Indian bookie. Both the Pakistan-born cricketers were charged by the ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal on 13 September 2020 and their punishment will come into effect from that day.

“This ban will come into effect from 13 September 2020 when he was provisionally suspended for corrupt practices in connection with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 in the UAE,” the ICC said in a release. For the Arab Emirates 15,000 dirhams (about 4083 dollars). The bookie has been identified as Mr. ‘Y’ in the ICC’s chargesheet for fixing matches against the qualifying round. Hayat is a fast bowler while Ahmed is a batsman.

The two were charged with five counts of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, including failing to disclose corrupt links, improperly influencing the outcome of a match and accepting gifts worth more than US$750.

The ICC decision also mentioned that Hayata and Ahmed participated in four and three anti-corruption academic sessions organized by the ICC respectively. The judgment also said that messages were shared between the two players and the Indian corrupt on WhatsApp but the meeting did not take place on the scheduled date.