Afghanistan Cricketer Shafiqullah Shafaq Given Six-Year Ban

Afghanistan international cricketer, Shafiqullah Shafaq, has been banned from all forms of cricket for six years after accepting four corruption charges by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).

The charges were reportedly all in relation to the inaugural Afghanistan Premier League T20 in 2018, and the 2019 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

In a statement released by the ACB, it was revealed Shafiqullah had also unsuccessfully attempted to coerce one of his teammates to engage in corruption during a BPL match last year.

ACB senior anti-corruption manager, Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi, said the charges indicate the organisations’ efforts in keeping international cricket clean.

“It is an alert for all those players who think their illegal activities concerning the game of cricket will not be disclosed to the ACB’s ACU,” he said.

“Our coverage is vaster than what is perceived.

“During our educational program, we always instruct players to report each suspicious activity in order to keep the game of cricket and their own careers clean of any corrupt practices,” he said.

The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, Shafiqullah last represented Afghanistan in September in a Twenty20 game against Bangladesh.

He had represented his country in 46 T20 fixtures and 24 one-day international test matches.