Former Pakistan batsman Saleem Pervez dies

Former Pakistan batsman Saleem Pervez, a key figure in the Pakistan match-fixing inquiry, has died aged 65 on Wednesday.

He played one ODI for Pakistan against West Indies in 1980 and died after suffering injuries in a road accident.

He was known, however, for his role in the match-fixing inquiry conducted by judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum in the late 1990s, when he confessed to his role as a middle-man between some Pakistani players and bookies. He testified in the Qayyum inquiry in September 1998.

According to the Qayyum report, Pervez confessed to giving Salim Malik and Mushtaq Ahmed $100,000, in a bid to fix a final in Sharjah. The inquiry was a result of the allegations made by Australian players Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh, who said that Salim Malik had offered them a bribe during a series against Pakistan in 1994. Warne however denied knowing any one by the name of Saleem Pervez.

Pakistan players like Wasim Akram, Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, Ata-ur-Rehman, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam ul-Haq were under the scanner, too. Malik and Ata-ur-Rehman were banned for life in 2000. Pervez was controversial and was alleged to have fixed matches but no charges against him were proved.

Despite a decent domestic record, and being a regular member of National Bank and his regional team, he had to wait 13 years to make his international debut. He played 135 first-class matches and scored 8075 runs at an average of 36.21. He also played 23 List A matches and scored 416 runs, before he retired from cricket in 1989-90.