Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday cleared former captain Shoaib Malik over allegations of illegal earnings. The integrity committee of PCB, which met here on Friday with its chairman Ijaz Butt in the chair, cleared former skipper Shoaib Malik paving his way for return in the international cricket subject to selection by selectors.
The meeting of the integrity committee was held at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore. Former Justice Jamshaid Ali Shah, Subhan Ahmad, COO PCB, Zakir Khan, Director PCB International, Sultan Rana, Director PCB Domestic, Wasim Ahmed, PCB Security Manager and Taffazul Rizvi, Legal Advisor attended the meeting. Due to pressing engagements in Karachi, Chief Selector Mohsin Khan could not attend the meeting. However, he was consulted by the Integrity Committee over telephone. It may be initiated that the matter of Shoaib Malik was initiated suo mottu by the integrity committee with regard to certain deposits in his overseas accounts.
A spokesman of PCB said here Friday that various meetings of the committee were held and a number of personal hearings were also provided to Shoaib Malik. He was directed to provide complete information supported with relevant documents regarding the source of the said deposits, which he did provide.
The committee reviewed all the material in detail and also verified the veracity of the said information from relevant authorities. At the last meeting of the integrity committee held on 15th August 2011, Shoaib Malik was asked to provide some additional information pertaining to the above deposits. This information has been duly provided which the integrity committee reviewed in its meeting held today, the spokesman added.
The integrity committee after detailed deliberations has unanimously reached the conclusion that prima facie Shoaib Malik has been able to establish that the said deposits in this overseas account did not emanate from any questionable source or activity. As against that no incriminating material to the contrary was available on the record hence Shoaib Malik is hereby cleared by the committee.
AFP adds: The 29-year-old Malik has not been selected for Pakistan since last summer's tour of England after he failed to account for money held in an overseas bank account before an integrity committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). "I am very happy as the prayers of my mother, family and my wife have been answered," Malik, who married Indian tennis star Sania Mirza last year, told AFP. Malik appeared before the committee on Monday and provided documents to justify the amount in his account. The committee, chaired by PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Friday announced Malik was cleared after a thorough investigation. He was already included in the reserve players subject to clearance for the tour in which Pakistan play one Test, three one-dayers and two Twenty20 matches.
He has played 32 Tests, 192 ODIs and 32 Twenty20 matches since making his debut in 1999. "The last year was very tough on me and not playing the 2011 World Cup was the biggest tradegy in my life, but now I will do my best and perform for my country whenever I get a chance," he said.
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