NEWS
SCHEDULES
COLUMNS
PREVIOUS TOURS
OTHER SPORTS
STATISTICS
INTERVIEWS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

The Justice Quayyum Report

Khalid Mahmood: Next to appear was Mr. Khalid Mahmood, Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board. Mr. Khalid Mahmood deposed that he could not say with certainty that match-fixing took place or not but he opined that he was certain that one day international at Nottingham in 1992 was not fixed. He stated that there was a consistent pattern of accusing the Pakistani cricketers of match-fixing whenever the team was faring well. When asked whether he had any explanation for the allegations levelled by the Australian Team he deposed that the Australian Cricket was known for indulging in tactics like terrorizing the opposition in and off the field which they called "sledging". He hoped that the matter would be resolved once and for all by this Commission of Inquiry.

Saeed Anwar: Next to appear was Saeed Anwar. Saeed Anwar deposed that he never indulged in match-fixing and the statement of Rashid Latif to this effect was wrong. He confirmed that he had appeared before the Probe Committee and given a statement. He denied ever speaking to Mr. Javed Burki regarding the Singer Trophy in Sri Lanka. He felt that he was misunderstood by Mr. Burki.

Mushtaq Ahmad: Next to appear was Mushtaq Ahmad. He confirmed that Salim Pervez was staying in the same hotel as the cricket team and that he knew Salim Pervez. He denied that he had taken money from Saleem Pervez but said that his performance in the said match was very good. When questioned as to how he knew which match the counsel was referring to Mushtaq Ahmad had no answer.

Inzamam ul Haq: Inzamam-ul-Haq also appeared. In his view the Singer Trophy match against Australia in Sri Lanka was not fixed. Inzamam-ul-Haq confirmed that an altercation had taken place during the South African tour between Captain and Vice Captain but he felt that no match-fixing takes place in Pakistan.

Imran Khan: Mr. Imran Khan, former Captain, also appeared before this Commission of Inquiry. He felt that match-fixing had taken place in Pakistani cricket but apart from what Ata-ur-Rehman had told him he had no information regarding match-fixing. Mr. Imran Khan maintained that the involvement of the Captain is imperative if match-fixing is to take place because guaranteeing the results of the match cannot be without the knowledge or consent of the Captain. Mr. Imran Khan also maintained that Intikhab Alam was a decent person and should be believed. He suggested that any one found guilty of match-fixing, should be banned for life and fines should be imposed on them.

Javed Miandad: Mr. Javed Miandad, former Captain also appeared before this Commission of Inquiry. He stated that he knew Saleem Pervez and had also heard that Saleem Pervez had paid money to some Pakistani players. He also maintained that the Australians were speaking the truth. He suggested that the culprits be punished sternly and be banned for life. He stated that during the Singer Trophy match in 1994, the conduct of Pakistani team was suspicious and he felt that they were involved. He stated that once Mushtaq Ahmad had confessed to him about his involvement in match-fixing. He also stated that senior players had been influencing younger players in order to persuade them to indulge in match-fixing and those who did not agree, were put out of the team.

Javed Miandad was again called by the Commission in August 1999 to ask him as to why he had resigned as Coach of Pakistan team after its tour of Sharjah in 1999. He appeared before the Commission and after some hesitation stated that during the Pakistan match with England at Sharjah, he had received a phone call from someone apparently reliable and whom he did not want to name, who said that the match was fixed. That person told Miandad that Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Salim Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq had taken money to 'box' the match. He even made Wasim Akram talk to the man. Miandad says he was furious at the team during lunch and say that England who were earlier 40/5 had scored 206. He further went on to state that before he knew what was happening, five of his batsmen were out and the entire team got out for about 135 runs in the 35th over without playing 50 overs.

The said five players were then summoned by the Commission on the 3rd September, 1999. All these players denied match-fixing and on the contrary said it was because of Javed Miandad's allegations against them coupled with his extremely aggressive behaviour that they got upset and could not play properly and lost the match. They further stated that earlier on two different occasions, Javed had accused the team of match-fixing, once in Canada (Sahara Series) and once in Mohali (India) but on both those occasions Pakistan won the match.

Wasim Akram: Wasim Akram also appeared and explained the Sharjah match. He said he did talk to someone called Dawood Ibrahim on the phone, who told him that the match had been fixed. He asked Wasim to make the boys take oath on Holy Quran, which Wasim did not because Holy Quran was not available on the ground at that time.

Majid Khan: Next to appear was the former Pakistani Captain and the recent Chief Executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mr. Majid Khan. Mr. Majid Khan had been instrumental in the appointment of this Commission of Inquiry. Mr. Majid Khan deposed that after the disappointing performance of the Pakistani team in the Independence Cup Quadrangular matches, he confronted Haroon Rasheed. Mr. Haroon Rasheed maintained that if the Captain Wasim Akram was not interested in winning the matches, he, Haroon, should not be blamed. Mr. Majid Khan, produced exhibits which showed that Mr. Wasim Akram was promoting himself in the batting order, which was resulting in breaking the momentum and the slowing of the run rate. When Wasim Akram was confronted by Majid Khan, Wasim Akram replied that he was not aware of the in form batsman and the out of form batsman and that he would rectify the mistake. During the matches in Sharjah, the same mistake was repeated by Wasim Akram. He would promote himself in the batting order instead of Azhar Mahmood and Moin Khan. Mr. Majid Khan maintained that the exemplary punishment should be given to all those who were involved in match fixing so that an example could be set for others. He also suggested that investigating agencies should investigate the assets of the Players.

Saqlain Mushtaq: Next to appear was Saqlain Mushtaq, who refuted the allegations against him given by the Coach Haroon Rasheed. He maintained that he gave away 15 runs in the last over because he was asked to bowl with a new ball. This was because the white ball had to be changed because of visibility problems. Since no old ball was available, a new ball was given after rubbing off its shine which created difficulties for the spinners and for that reason, he could not contain the batsman.

Aamir Sohail: Finally Aamir Sohail appeared again and produced the original affidavit sworn by Ata-ur-Rehman. Aamir Sohail maintained that during the Singer Trophy, Saleem Pervez had also come into his room and implied that he wanted to buy over Aamir Sohail. During the said match, a message was sent through Zahid Fazal, the 12th man and Saeed Anwar immediately retired hurt. At the time, there was no apparent reason for Saeed Anwar to leave the field. During the South African tour, Saeed Anwar was not in good form and was not making runs. When asked about his poor form, he replied that curse had come to him from God as he had been indulged in match-fixing. Aamir Sohail told him to pray for forgiveness and pay some "Kuffara".

According to Sohail, during the World Cup Quarter-Final, Wasim Akram went to a Nightclub just before the Bangalore match against India. When Aamir Sohail asked Wasim Akram about his fitness, Wasim said he was fit to play and that he would not miss such a crucial match. Aamir Sohail maintained that there is a team meeting before all important matches, but that no such meeting took place for this all important quarter final.

Before the Australasia Cup Final in 1994, Aamir Sohail maintained that he received a call from an Indian bookie who offered him Rs. 25 Lacs for getting himself out before scoring 10 runs and also getting Saeed Anwar run out. It was during this time that it was felt necessary for all the members of the team to take oath on the Holy Quran. Aamir Sohail maintained that the only reason Ata-ur-Rehman and Rashid Latif had lost their place in the National team was because they had exposed all the match fixers. Mr. Aamir Sohail maintained that during the 1994 Christ Church match, Mr. Majid Khan was very up-set about the rumours and had banned all telephone calls going to the players directly. This is the same match in which Ata-ur-Rehman later gave an affidavit. Aamir Sohail maintained that match-fixing mainly takes place in Sharjah and that Saleem Pervez had informed him that he had paid money to Salim Malik, Mushtaq Ahmad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis.

Qaiser Ali Shah: Mr. Qaiser Ali Shah, Director of the Ehtesaab Bureau appeared and made a statement that the Bureau at the request of the Chairman of the Adhoc Committee made an investigation into the affairs of the Pakistani Cricket Team. The Bureau was given two days to do this. There was a lot of hearsay evidence, but no direct evidence available.

Continued...