Ihsanullah Janat, Afghanistan’s top-order batsman, has been banned from “all forms of cricket activities” for five years due to involvement in corruption, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Wednesday.
The prohibition is effective immediately. The board stated that the breaches of the ACB’s and ICC‘s anti-corruption codes occurred during the second season of the Kabul Premier League earlier this year.
“Janat was found guilty of violating Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, which involves improper influence or efforts to fix the result, progress, conduct, or any other aspect of a match,” the ACB said in a statement. “In light of this violation, he has been handed a five-year ban from all cricket-related activities. Janat has admitted to the charges and confessed to his involvement in corrupt activities.”
According to the statement, the ACB’s anti-corruption team is investigating “three other players” for potential involvement in corrupt actions. “Decisions regarding their involvement will be made upon confirmation of their guilt,” the ACB added.
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Ihsanullah, 26, who was playing for the Shamshad Eagles in the Kabul Premier League 2024, scored 72 runs at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 150 in four innings. With just one win in five games, the team finished last in the six-team league standings.
Ihsanullah has represented Afghanistan in 20 international matches in all three formats. Ihsanullah made his debut in an ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare in February 2017. In the fifteen ODIs that followed, he scored 307 runs at an average of 21.92.
He has also made appearances in three Tests, scoring 110 runs at a 22.00 average, and one T20 International, scoring 20 runs off of 14 balls. That T20I match against Zimbabwe in June 2022 in Harare marked his final appearance for his country.
Ihsanullah is from a cricket-loving family, as his brother Nawroz Mangal was a pivotal figure in Afghanistan’s early years of international cricket. Nawroz captained the Afghan squad when they became the first Affiliate nation to earn ODI status during the 2009 World Cup qualifications, as well as when they qualified for the 2010 T20 World Cup.
