Wasim Akram played 104 tests and 356 ODIs for Pakistan.[/caption]
Former World champions Pakistan Cricket team are always on the wrong side of the headlines. They often live under the cloud of criticism and are also often being accused of something. And they always have a say about it, coming out in the open and feeding the media.
The latest addition to the list has been former leg spinner Abdul Qadir. Qadir, who was speaking in a TV show, said Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mushtaq Ahmed were the ‘bigger’ culprits in the match-fixing scandal that had hit Pakistan cricket in the late 90s.
He said, “Had you hanged Wasim Akram, Inzamam, Mushtaq Ahmed - there’s an entire list - instead of giving them a slap on the wrist, what’s happening now would’ve never happened”.
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“Ataur Rehman and Salim Malik were made the scapegoats, and even they would’ve escaped if they carried cricketing value or were in their prime. The way of our country is to nab the smaller culprit and let the bigger one go,” Qadir added. The former player also questioned why the report of Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum on match-fixing hadn’t been enforced. He said, “All of Wasim, Waqar, Inzamam and Mushtaq either currently work or have previously worked within the PCB. Why weren’t the recommendations of Justice Qayyum’s report enforced?” Earlier, Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi shed some light on the matter as well. He told Geo News: “Until an example is set, this issue will continue. When a player knows he will be forgiven and brought back into the national fold after four or five years, there isn’t any fear or deterrence.” At least five players have been named in an ongoing investigation into the spot-fixing scandal in Pakistan Super League (PSL). The players, Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed and Shahzaib Hasan, currently remain suspended from playing competitive cricket.
