"We revived the team but now it feels like out efforts have been wasted."
Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan Test Captain, gave his thoughts on spot-fixing scandals, both old and recent. And he didn’t hold back! The cricketer believes those who become involved with such scandals should face a lifetime ban.
He made the comments when speaking to reporters on 19th March 2017. He expressed his dismay with spot-fixing scandals and suggested perpetrators shouldn’t have a second chance:
“Obviously it’s disappointing and there should be a law that once you have done something wrong you should not return to this field again.”
Misbah-ul-Haq’s harsh remarks come as the Pakistan Cricket Board suspended five Pakistani cricket players in a recent spot-fixing scandal. Reports identified the players as Shahzaib Hasan, Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Irfan, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif.
Not only did the Board charge them with spot-fixing, but also failing to report bookmakers approaching them during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final.
The Pakistan Test Captain appeared visibly displeased with the scandal. He said: “We did our best to clean the game up and the seven years of hard work and our image is now spoilt to a great extent. You cannot afford this again and again.”
Misbah-ul-Haq refers to the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif made a deal for money. They agreed to bowl no-balls for payment. The deal was part of a betting scam, but all three men received suspensions for their actions.
In 2015, the Pakistan Cricket Board lifted their bans and now one of them, Mohammad Amir, made a comeback to international cricket. This return took place in 2016.
But it appears the Pakistan Test Captain does not agree with the temporary bans.
Feeling like history has repeated itself, he said: “We had almost changed the team’s image with the tour in England and the performance of the team on and off the field. We revived the team but now it feels like out efforts have been wasted.”
Therefore, Misbah-ul-Haq believes Pakistani cricket needs serious change to avoid future spot-fixing scandals.
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