Former Pakistan cricketer Nasir Jamshed seeks forgiveness, reflects on difficult jail term

Former Pakistan cricketer Nasir Jamshed has revealed that he went through an extremely difficult period during his time in prison and has now appealed to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to forgive the remaining year of his ban.

In an interview with Geo News, Jamshed admitted that he deeply regrets his involvement in spot-fixing and said he has paid a heavy price for his mistakes. He claimed that poor legal advice worsened his situation, adding that had he received proper guidance, his sentence and ban might have been reduced.

“I have suffered a lot. If my lawyer had advised me correctly, my punishment would have been lighter and my ban might have already ended,” he said.

Jamshed disclosed that when recordings of his conversation at a shisha café in Birmingham were presented in court, he decided to plead guilty. He alleged that his lawyer had initially advised him not to confess and to cut all contact with the cricket board. He also blamed Shahid Ali for misleading him, claiming that his main interest was financial gain.

The former opener admitted that he was involved in a conspiracy with Yousef Anwar and had facilitated contact between him and cricketers Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif.

Recalling his time in jail, Jamshed said it was one of the darkest phases of his life and that he even contemplated suicide. He credited his wife for helping him survive the emotional turmoil.

“There were moments when I felt completely broken. My wife saved my life. When she sent me pictures of our daughter, it gave me strength. I decided to live for my family,” he said.

Jamshed has now urged the PCB chairman to consider reducing his ban, stating that only one year remains.

“I am ashamed of what I did. It was completely wrong. I request the PCB to forgive the remaining year of my ban. I also advise young players to never get involved in corruption,” he added.

Background of the Case

Nasir Jamshed was arrested by the UK’s National Crime Agency following investigations into spot-fixing activities. He and his associates were accused of attempting to fix matches during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) in 2016 and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2017.

During the BPL, a batsman was allegedly offered money to avoid scoring runs on the first two deliveries of an over. In 2016, Jamshed reportedly told an undercover officer that six players were working for him and that around £30,000 per match was being distributed among them.

Initially, Jamshed denied involvement in bribery during the PSL. However, he later admitted his guilt in court.

In 2019, Manchester Crown Court sentenced him to 17 months in prison. Subsequently, the Pakistan Cricket Board imposed a 10-year ban on him from all forms of cricket.

Now, as he approaches the final year of his suspension, Jamshed hopes for leniency and a chance to rebuild his life away from the controversy that ended his international career.