Confessional statement not my idea, was made on PCB's own advice: Saleem Malik

Former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik has branded the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) response to his plea to get his name cleared from match-fixing stigma as “a joke”, and explained that his confessional statement unveiled by the board a day earlier was not voluntary but made on the board’s own advise.

Malik, over the past few months, had lobbied for the PCB to help him shed the image of a convicted fixer and possibly find him an employment opportunity. The PCB, in a joint letter addressed to Malik and Danish Kaneria (unrelated matter), had told him that he would have to first explain his 2000 meeting with alleged corrupt elements before expecting relief.

'Black sheep within PCB trying to aggravate situation'

The board had also put in public view a 2014 statement of Malik’s in which he had all but owned up his transgressions. Malik today offered context to that statement and accused PCB’s former chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed and legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi of trapping him.

“The statement of mine that the PCB quoted from is from 2013 and not 2014. I had raised this issue in front of the then-PCB chairman Najam Sethi. Subhan Ahmed and Tafazzul Rizvi were also present. I told them that I was being wrong as the courts have cleared me. The latter two advised me to write a letter to the ICC and said that this would just be eyewash, after which the matter would get resolved in two weeks,” Malik said in a video sent to media personnel.”

“I signed the letter on their say-so. To use that letter against me now is comical,” he added.

READ: Danish Kaneria threatens to sue anyone who links him with fixing cases

Malik said that the PCB’s line of action is a clear indication that instead of helping him, it wants the situation aggravated. But instead of blaming the entire board, he pinned the blame on “some black sheeps”, thus keeping the door ajar for reconciliation.

“I am shocked. I was still in the process of drafting a second response because the PCB said the first one had errors. I was in discussion with my lawyers but now the PCB has brought up this 2014 letter issue.

“On one hand, the PCB is asking me for my response but then it also stirs up another story. It’s clear that the PCB has black sheep that do not want this matter resolved. In fact, they want it to deteriorate.”

“For 20 years, I played for Pakistan. I singlehandedly won matches for Pakistan. The PCB chairman should look into this matter personally and identify the people who want this matter to escalate.”

Malik is not the first former player to think that certain personnel within the PCB pit the board against its own players to profit off of ensuing beefs. Bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar had alleged the same earlier this year, claiming Rizvi of deliberately giving the PCB questionable advice for his personal gain – a matter that had seen him receive a legal notice and a trip to the FIA office.

Comments

Submit