Published: Oct 22, 2015, 03:27 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 22, 2015, 03:32 PM (IST)
Islamabad: Former Pakistan cricket team manager Yawar Saeed, who held the post during the 2010 England tour when the team was hit by a spot-fixing scandal, has died of a brain tumour, his family said Thursday. Saeed, 80, was the son of Pakistan’s first-ever captain Mian Mohammad Saeed, who led the country in their unofficial Test in 1948, and the brother-in-law of former captain and paceman Fazal Mahmood, who played 34 Tests. But he was best known for his role as team manager during the spot-fixing scandal, when three Pakistani players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — were charged with accepting money for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England.
All three players were banned for five years by the International Cricket Council and spent six months in jail in Britain. Saeed, who also served as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer in 2003, described the episode as the worst of his career as an official.
He resigned as manager a month after the scandal. His family said he died of a brain tumour on Wednesday. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan offered his condolences.
Five years since the outbreak of the spot-fixing scandal, that shook the entire cricketing world, the three players have been pardoned of their bans by the ICC and are currently trying to get their way back into the international fold. They are facing several hurdles however, especially with several members of the current Pakistani team as well as former cricketers opposing their return. Aamer is among the players likely to feature in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), which according to the pacer, will be his first step towards his international return. READ: Playing BPL first step towards reviving international career, says Mohammad Aamer
