Shafiqullah Shafaq has been banned from cricket for six years ©Getty Images

Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman Shafiqullah Shafaq has been banned from cricket for six years after accepting four breaches of anti-corruption rules.

The 30-year-old, who has played in 24 one-day internationals and 46 Twenty20 matches for Afghanistan, admitted to four charges while playing for Afghan club Nangarhar Leopards in 2018 and Sylhet Thunder in last year's Bangladesh Premier League.

Shafaq will be banned from all forms of cricket following the decision from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which said the punishment should send a warning to all players.

The 30-year-old accepted four breaches of the ACB's anti-corruption code ©Getty Images
The 30-year-old accepted four breaches of the ACB's anti-corruption code ©Getty Images

"This is a very serious offence where a senior national player is involved in the corruption of a high-profile domestic game in the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League T20," ACB senior anti-corruption manager Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi said.

"The player had also attempted but failed to get one of his team-mates to engage in corruption in another high-profile game during the Bangladesh Premier League 2019.

"It is an alert for all those players who think their illegal activities concerning the game of cricket will not be disclosed to the ACB.

"Our coverage is vaster than what is perceived."

Shafaq, who made his Afghanistan debut in 2009, is now set to work with the ACB on its integrity education programmes to help younger players.