Pakistan 'cheats' described by Imran (12 November 1998)

12 November 1998

Pakistan 'cheats' described by Imran

By Mihir Bose

IMRAN Khan, the former Pakistan Test captain and world-class all-rounder, yesterday claimed that team-mates had been involved in cheating and took bribes to throw matches.

Imran also gave details of extraordinary steps he says he took to thwart match fixing during his time as Pakistan captain.

Imran was testifying to the one-man commission in Lahore which has been looking into allegations of bribery and corruption in Pakistan cricket.

At an open hearing, Imran told justice Malik Mohammed Qayyum: "I'm sure some Pakistani players were involved in the betting." Imran then went on to retell the story of the 1989 match in Sharjah when several Pakistani players, he alleged, had taken money to throw the match.

Imran told the hearing that he had been warned about this by former captain Javed Miandad, who told him how renegade players were attempting to throw the match.

When he heard this Imran said: "I was worried. It was quite unusual . . . .after careful thinking I finally decided to bet all the money we had made in the other matches on our team. That is how we won the match."

Imran told the hearing that his first introduction to match fixing was nearly two decades ago during a tour of India. Then, he alleged, the Pakistan captain, Asif Iqbal, told his Indian counterpart that he had won the toss without looking at the coin. Pakistan lost that Test.

Meanwhile, players alleged to have been involved in match fixing will be ordered to submit details of their assets to the commision.

A final list of players who would be asked to make the declarations has yet to be finalised but those targeted would be told to declare assets owned by them and their dependants.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk)