Malik denies charges

Lahore, May 26: Former Test captain Salim Malik has appealed to the president and the chief executive of Pakistan to reconsider the judicial commission report issued on the match-fixing scandal, imposing life-ban on him.

Addressing a crowded Press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Friday afternoon, Salim Malik said that he had not been involved in the match-fixing scandal. He claimed that he had been made a scapegoat. Salim Malik said that the learned judge gave weightage to the evidence of two Australian players Mark Waugh and Shane Warne in imposing life ban on him, but the characters of both were doubtful after their own cricket board fined them for having relations with bookies. But their board favoured them by keeping the entire proceedings secret.

When asked that earlier he was going to court against the decision of the commission and now he was making appeals to the higher authorities, Malik said that he did not receive any document officially from the PCB and would go to the court after receiving official documents.

He said that he would defend himself at all cost as it was his right to do so.

"Cricket is the lone source of my earning and I will fight to save it," Malik said. Malik asked why the ban was imposed only on him and not on others players. About Ata-ur-Rahman, Salim Malik said "it is not so important".

Malik said that he was the top player with whose individual efforts Pakistan had won most of the international matches, but regretted the reward he had received in return for his tireless services for the country was disheartening for him. Was it a fair justice rendered to him? Salim Malik asked in pensive mode.

Refuting the allegations, published in a British tabloid "News of the World", Salim Malik said that the voice recorded in the cassettes was not his voice. He said that he visited England last on the invitation of one Ghazan Iqbal who had been shifted from Sharjah to England and wanted to sign a contract with him for coaching the Asian players there.

"After deciding terms and condition of the contract, Iqbal gave me 15 days for his final reply, but he did not turn up. Then suddenly I listened the drama of News of the World", Malik said. He said that the tabloid had no credibility in England as it had been publishing baseless news for cheap publicity. Malik said that he would sue the paper also.

Malik said that he had talked to the PCB chairman on the day when the report was announced and he (chairman) promised to give him a patient hearing.

Denying allegations of creating indiscipline in the Pakistan team, Malik said that he had not been involved in grouping and added that if he had done so he would have remained in the team.

He said that the PCB and his parent department Habib Bank did not stop him from holding his press conference and that there was no truth in the news that he was going to be detained.