Nasir Jamshed charged for bribery by UK National Crime Agency

Nasir Jamshed, the banned former Pakistan opener, has been charged with two counts of bribery by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). He will be required to appear before Manchester Magistrates Court on January 15.

Jamshed was arrested in February 2017, amid investigations into spot-fixing in the Pakistan Super League. In August this year, he was given a 10-year ban by the PCB after being found guilty of five charges under its anti-corruption code.

The NCA, which has worked in conjunction with the PCB and ICC anti-corruption units, said on Wednesday that Jamshed, who lives in the UK, had been served with a written summons by the Crown Prosecution Service. Two British nationals, Yousaf Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz, have also been charged.

The punishment for bribery as a summary offence - tried at a Magistrates Court - can range from a fine to imprisonment for up to 12 months.

A statement from the NCA said: "Three men have been charged with bribery offences as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into cricket match spot-fixing in tournaments organised by national cricket boards from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

"British nationals Yousaf Anwar, 35, and Mohammed Ijaz, 33, were arrested in February 2017, along with Nasir Jamshaid, 32, from Pakistan.

"Yesterday (Wednesday 19 December) they were served with written summonses by the Crown Prosecution Service charging them each with two counts of bribery. Their first appearance at Manchester Magistrates Court will be on 15 January 2019.

"The NCA worked closely with the Pakistan Cricket Board and International Cricket Council's anti-corruption units as part of the investigation. The Pakistan Cricket Board launched its own investigation which, following subsequent tribunal hearings, resulted in the suspension of three players."

Five other players received sanctions from the PCB over corruption charges relating to the 2017 case. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were each banned for five years, while Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Irfan and Shahzaib Hasan each received shorter suspensions.