Cricket News

Pakistan’s Saleem Malik unwelcomed in Pakistan Cricket

By Senior Writer

Posted on April 25, 2020

Pakistan’s Saleem Malik unwelcomed in Pakistan Cricket

Saleem Malik, the former Pakistani cricketer, can not be welcomed again in Pakistan Cricket as revealed by an official of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Saleem, who played his last match in the late 1900s, got banned for a lifetime after being involved in a match-fixing scandal in 2000.

He demanded a comeback by PCB but the board has turned him down.

“Malik, to date, has not responded to the notice and that is why the PCB and ICC are not willing to give any clear statement on why Malik is not allowed to engage in any cricket activities,” the source is quoted as saying by the PCB.

“After the PCB banned him for life in 2000 on the recommendations of Justice (retd) Qayyum judicial commission, Malik had some meetings in the UK the transcripts of which were obtained by the ICC and which raised doubts over the purpose of these meetings.”

“The Board, with the change of management, took it easy on Malik after the decision by the lower court but when the ICC brought the matter of the meetings to their notice, he is again persona non grata in Pakistan cricket circles.”

However, the former chief selector of Pakistan Cricket has said that Saleem Malik shall be given another chance like other cricketers were given.

“Like in India, former captain Mohammad Azharuddin was also named once, but he is now the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. Similarly, Malik should also be involved in some kind of cricket-related activities,” Inzamam ul Haq said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.

“It is unfortunate to see that his career ended like that. It should not have ended that way. But I believe he deserves a second innings to do something for the country,” said Inzamam.

“The way Mohammad Yusuf used to play, the way Zaheer Abbas used to or the way Babar Azam plays, Malik was also the same type of player. He has played more than 100 Tests for Pakistan and scored more than 7000 runs.”

“The new generation might not have seen him play but he was a great player. I have never seen someone analyze the game as well as he used to do. He might have been away from the game for more than 10-15 year but he still has a lot to give back,” added the former Pakistan skipper.