LAHORE: Former legendary Test fast bowler Sarfaraz Nawaz, who is a blunt critic of the corrupt practices in the game of cricket, has advised the Pakistan Cricket Board that prior to asking the government of Pakistan to form laws to curb the menace of match fixing, it should first clean up its own house from such people who have been penalized for their involvement in fixing during the past.

“Without taking to task the penalised cricketers from the past who are still working with the PCB, no one will believe that the Board is sincere in its claims of ridding Pakistan’s cricket of the fixing menace,” said Sarfaraz while speaking to Dawn.

It may be mentioned that PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, in a recent podcast session, had stated that the PCB would ask the government to formulate the laws to end the corrupt practices like match fixing in the game of cricket.

“If the PCB is ready to say goodbye to tainted and penalized players like Waqar Younus, Mushtaq Ahmad, Wasim Akram and many others who in the past have been penalised by Justice Qayyum Commission, then all this makes some sense,” said Sarfaraz who played for Pakistan from from 1969 to 1984.

“Although Justice Qayyum had made several recommendations to the PCB to check the menace of fixing, hardly any of that was followed in the two decades and that reflects the sincerity of the PCB towards nipping the foul practices in the bud.”

Sarfaraz alleged that in fact the PCB and the ICC were not looking serious to control the match or spot fixing practices in the game as the cricketers, despite facing punishments in some cases, have repeatedly been making comebacks in the game or with the Board in one capacity or the other.

Sarfaraz said in the past he had spoken openly and bluntly against the cricketers involved in foul practices and urged the concerned authorities to take action, but unfortunately neither the government nor the PCB showed seriousness.

“And now once again there is talk about taking action and criminalising the acts of fixing which is just an eyewash and nothing else,” he said.

Sarfaraz reminded that when Pakistan lost the World Cup 1999 matches to Bangladesh and India, he had informed the Pakistan team’s management of the dirty business that was going on but nothing happened. “Incidentally, current PCB chairman Ehsan Mani and then Pakistan High Commissioner were also there watching the matches in 1999. But they turned a deaf ear to my warningsand Pakistan lost the matches in the most shocking way,” recalled Sarfaraz.

He added that the former Managing Director of United Cricket Board of South African, Ali Bacher also quoted former Pakistan opener Majid Khan, before the King’s Commission set up for a match-fixing scandal, that the matches against Bangladesh and India were fixed.

Sarfaraz expressed his surprise as to why did the ICC Anti-corruption Unit Paul Condon visited Lahore just days before Justice (retd.) Qayyum’s Commission was going to announce its report in 2000.

“According to my sources, Condon met Qayyum and warned him that in case he would ban a good number of cricketers, then it might force the ICC to ban Pakistan’s cricket. Therefore Qayyuum only put life ban on Salim Malik for corruption and on Ata-ur-Rehman for purgery but altered his decision of banning Wasim (Akram) and only recommended to remove him from captaincy,” Sarfaraz alleged.

He went on to say that said though he had written letters to then president Gen. (retd.) Pervez Musharraf and PCB chairman Lt. Gen. (retd.) Tauqir Zia, pointing out the negative roles of many high ups in promoting gambling and fixing, no action was taken whatsoever.

Sarfaraz disclosed that he had also advised Tauqir Zia not to recommend the name of Ehsan Mani for the post of ICC president way back in 2003 and had backed the names of Imran Khan, Majid Khan, Haseeb Ahsan or Zafar Altaf for the ICC post.

He alleged that Mani did nothing to curb to eradicate the match-fixing practices as ICC president.

Sarfaraz blamed the mushrooming T20 leagues for the growing trend of spot-fixing. “T20 cricket and now the newly introduced T10 leagues are fanning such foul practices, “ he said. “It is not an easy job to save the cricketers from corrupt practices if the concerned authorities will continue to handle these things so lightly and on basis of likes and dislikes.”

Published in Dawn, April 21st, 2020