Published: Apr 22, 2020, 10:56 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 22, 2020, 10:56 PM (IST)
Former Pakistani cricketer Saleem Malik, who has been banned for life by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for match-fixing, wants to contribute to the sport as a coach of the national team.
His lifetime ban was lifted in 2008 by a lower court, a decision that was however not supported by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council.
“I have wanted to serve my country and players as a coach,” he said in a video message.
The 104 Test veteran also blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board for not considering his application as a coach. “Whenever I tried to serve as a coach, I was not considered,” he added.
Pleading innocence, he appealed against the ban in 2001 but the Lahore High Court rejected it.
He applied to be Pakistan’s batting coach in 2012 and was also in contention for the head coaching job at the National Cricket Academy in 2008 but was overlooked on both occasions.
“Mohammad Aamir, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Sharjeel Khan have been playing but I have been ignored,” he said.
Butt, Asif and Amir were banned for five years in a spot-fixing case in 2010, while Sharjeel was handed a similar sentence in 2017.
A couple of days back, former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq also supported Malik and said his ban should be lifted like a lifetime ban was lifted from Mohammed Azharuddin, who is now the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association.
