Both the PCB and ICC want to speak to Umar Akmal about the spot-fixing claims he made

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has issued a notice to batsman Umar Akmal after he claimed that he had been approached to spot-fix during the 2015 World Cup.

Akmal alleged that he was offered $200,000 to leave two balls alone during Pakistan’s clash with India during the tournament.

He also told Samaa TV that he had been approached on multiple occasions in the past to fix games.

“I had got an offer during the World Cup to leave alone two balls and they were willing to pay me $200,000 for that,” he had said. “Similar offers have been made in the past as well.”

As a result of these comments, the PCB asked Akmal to meet with the board’s anti-corruption unit in Lahore on Wednesday to explain the remarks he made.

It remains unclear whether Akmal reported the alleged approaches, but if he failed to do so, he could find himself in hot water with the PCB and International Cricket Council (ICC).

In fact, the ICC confirmed that it has launched an investigation and is eager to speak to Akmal “urgently”.

“The ICC is aware of a recent interview given by Umar Akmal,” the statement said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “Whilst we note that there is no suggestion that any ‘fix’ actually took place, the ICC is reliant on players to report any corrupt approaches in a timely manner. This is critical to our efforts to gather information on potential ‘fixers’ and to disrupt and prevent their efforts to corrupt the game. As such we are taking Akmal’s comments very seriously.

“We have launched an investigation and wish to speak to Mr Akmal as a matter of urgency. Our Anti-Corruption Unit is committed to working to uphold integrity in cricket and would urge anyone with any information to contact us via contactacu@icc-cricket.com.”