Khalid Latif (cricketer)

Khalid Latif
Personal information
Full name
Khalid Latif
Born (1985-11-04) 4 November 1985 (age 38)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
BattingRight-handed
BowlingRight-arm off break
RoleBatsman
International information
National side
ODI debut (cap 163)30 January 2008 v Zimbabwe
Last ODI31 January 2010 v Australia
T20I debut (cap 29)12 October 2008 v Zimbabwe
Last T20I27 September 2016 v West Indies
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
2005–2015Karachi Dolphins
2000/01Karachi Blues
2000/01Pakistan A
2000/01Pakistan U-19
2016–2017Islamabad United
Career statistics
Competition ODI T20I FC LA
Matches 5 10 111 71
Runs scored 147 142 6,640 2,816
Batting average 29.40 14.2 35.31 46.16
100s/50s 0/1 0/1 19/27 11/9
Top score 64 59 254* 204*
Balls bowled 0 0 513 60
Wickets – – 9 1
Bowling average – – 45.00 59.00
5 wickets in innings – – 0 0
10 wickets in match – – 0 0
Best bowling – – 3/22 1/9
Catches/stumpings 1/– 1/– 67/– 32/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 30 November 2013
Medal record
Representing  Pakistan
Men's Cricket
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Guangzhou Team

Khalid Latif (Urdu: خالد لطیف; born 4 November 1985) is a former Pakistani cricketer who played as an opening batsman in international cricket for Pakistan. A right-handed opening batsman, he captained Pakistan during the country's 2004 Under-19 Cricket World Cup win and the 2010 Asian Games bronze medal win.

In February 2017, the Pakistan Cricket Board suspended Latif over his suspected involvement in the 2017 Pakistan Super League spot-fixing scandal.[1] In September, he was banned from playing cricket for five years and fined ₨. 1 million for his involvement in the corruption case.[2]

In September 2023, a court in the Netherlands convicted Latif of attempting to provoke the murder of Dutch politician Geert Wilders, and sentenced him to 12 years in prison.[3][4]

Career

Khalid Latif was captain of the Pakistani side which won the Under-19 World Cup in 2004. He was the highest scorer for Pakistan at the 2004 U-19 World Cup, scoring 291 runs in eight innings. Latif made his One Day International (ODI) debut at Faisalabad against Zimbabwe in 2008 and the same year he made his Twenty20 International debut against Zimbabwe.

In November 2009, during the 1st ODI against New Zealand, he scored a patient 64 runs from 112 balls in a 138 runs win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.[5]

In January 2010, during the 5th ODI at Perth against Australia, Latif was tackled from behind by a spectator who rushed onto the field. The ICC later asked Cricket Australia for a detailed report into the breach of security.[6]

Latif then captained the Pakistan cricket team in the 2010 Asian Games. He stated that his goal was to help his team win the gold medal in the games.[7] However, he had to settle for a bronze, after losing to Afghanistan in the semi-finals. He was selected in the Pakistan squad for the 2016 ICC World Twenty20.

In 2016, Latif scored a fifty in a blistering knock to take his side to victory versus England in the only T20.

2017 Pakistan Super League spot-fixing

Main article: 2017 Pakistan Super League spot-fixing scandal

On 10 February 2017, he was provisionally suspended under the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) anti-corruption code as part of an ongoing investigation into an organisation's alleged attempts to corrupt the 2017 Pakistan Super League.[1] On 18 February, Latif, along with teammate Sharjeel Khan, was formally charged by the PCB for violating the anti-corruption code.[8]

On 20 September, Latif was banned for five years from all forms of cricket in a short verdict announced by a three-man PCB tribunal.[2] He was also fined ₨. 1 million (c. US$9,489) and was found guilty of six major breaches of the PCB's anti-corruption code. Latif did not show up to hear the verdict being announced.[9]

Dutch caricature contest

In August 2018, he placed a bounty of ₨. 3 million (c. US$24,000) on Dutch far-right member of parliament Geert Wilders for planning to hold a caricature contest depicting Islamic prophet Muhammad.[10] The contest was organized by Wilders in the parliamentary offices of his party and received more than 200 entries, to be judged by Albanian American cartoonist and former Muslim Bosch Fawstin.[10] The contest was eventually cancelled due to safety concerns,[11] but was held the next year.[12]

On 29 August 2023, Latif had to stand trial in the Netherlands for placing a bounty on Wilders, for incitement, and for making threats. He refused to appear at the Schiphol Judicial Complex in Haarlemmermeer.[13] The court of The Hague tried Latif in absentia and sentenced him to 12 years imprisonment, in a verdict on 11 September 2023.[14][15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sharjeel, Latif provisionally suspended by PCB". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b Zeeshan Ahmed, Abu Bakar Bilal (20 September 2017). "Khalid Latif slapped with 5-year ban, Rs 1m fine in PSL spot-fixing case". Dawn. Pakistan. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  3. ^ "Khalid Latif sentenced by Netherlands court over video post inciting violence". ESPNcricinfo. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  4. ^ Armstrong, Kathryn (11 September 2023). "Khalid Latif: Cricketer sentenced over Dutch MP Geert Wilders murder threat". BBC News. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. ^ "1st ODI (D/N), Pakistan v New Zealand ODI Series at Abu Dhabi, Nov 3 2009". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  6. ^ "ICC asks Cricket Australia for report on security breach". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 February 2010.
  7. ^ "Pakistan eyeing Asian Games cricket gold". The Express Tribune. 27 October 2010.
  8. ^ Farooq, Umar (18 February 2017). "Sharjeel, Latif charged for alleged corruption". ESPNcricinfo.
  9. ^ Farooq, Umar (20 September 2017). "Khalid Latif banned for five years for role in PSL spot-fixing scandal". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  10. ^ a b Dettmer, Jamie (28 August 2018). "Threats Mount Over Dutch Cartoon Contest With Bounty Placed on Wilders". VOA. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Dutch lawmaker cancels Mohammad cartoon contest over safety concerns". Reuters. 30 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker ends Mohammad cartoon contest within hours". Reuters. 29 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Pakistaan krijgt 12 jaar cel voor oproep tot moord op Wilders" [Pakistani gets 12 years in prison for calling for the murder of Wilders]. NOS (in Dutch). 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. ^ Rechtbank Den Haag 11 September 2023, ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2023:13579 (Dutch)
  15. ^ "12 jaar cel voor poging uitlokking moord op Geert Wilders" [12 years imprisonment for attempting to incite the murder of Geert Wilders]. Rechtspraak.nl (in Dutch). de Rechtspraak. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Dutch court sentences Pakistani ex-cricketer who threatened Geert Wilders". Al Jazeera English. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.