Pakistan Cricket's Dark History: Match-Fixing Scandals Revisited
As the PCB investigates fresh allegations, a look back at the corruption cases that have tainted Pakistan cricket for decades.
Pakistan cricket is again under the spotlight for alleged match-fixing, following reports that the PCB is examining suspicious elements in the team's recent England tour. Phones of several players, including Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan, have been confiscated as part of the inquiry. If found guilty, they could face severe penalties, including bans, for breaching code-of-conduct rules.
The current probe echoes a troubled past. In 1994-95, captain Saleem Malik was accused of offering bribes to Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, and Tim May during a Test series in Pakistan. A judicial inquiry led by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum found Malik guilty of attempting to fix matches; he was banned for life. Fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman was also implicated and received a lengthy suspension.
Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria faced a lifetime ban in 2012 after being found guilty of corrupting his Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield, who took money to spot-fix a county match. Kaneria was accused of introducing Westfield to a bookmaker, leading to Westfield's prison sentence.
Perhaps the most infamous case came in 2010 when Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and teenage bowler Mohammad Amir were caught bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England, following an expose by undercover reporters. All three received bans and prison sentences, leaving an indelible stain on Pakistan's cricket reputation.