Umar Akmal eligible to play after ban is reduced

Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal is eligible to play competitive cricket after the Court of Arbitration for Sports reduced his ban for breaching the Pakistan Cricket Board's Anti-Corruption code, the board said Friday.

The middle-order batsman was suspended in February last year for failing to report approaches to him to engage in corrupt practices before the 2020 Pakistan Super League competition.

He was initially banned for three years but an independent adjudicator halved the ban following an appeal by the player.

The CAS has now reduced the ban to 12 months but asked the 30-year-old to pay a $27,000 fine and complete a rehabilitation program under the board's anti-corruption code, the PCB said in a statement.