KARACHI: The case of former Pakistan captain Salim Malik who was banned for life by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on match fixing charges, has some serious doubts still shrouding it and this is said to be the reason why he has not been allowed to take up cricket-related activities despite getting clearance from a local court.

The PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi said that the PCB integrity committee had a formal meeting with Salim after he got relief from the Lahore session court in 2008.

“The ban was not imposed by the PCB. We only implemented the recommendations of the Malik Qayyum’s inquiry commission”, Rizvi said, adding that the PCB integrity committee asked Salim to clarify reservations raised by the ICC.

“Salim had multiple questionable meetings with some people in London and the ICC shared transcripts of those interactions with the PCB. Those meetings took place after the action taken against Malik in view of the Malik Qayyum’s inquiry commission’s recommendations”, Rizvi recalled. “In April 2013, the PCB formally asked Salim to respond to the ICC reservations. However, he has not complied as yet.

“It raised very serious questions with regards to his [Salim Malik’s] integrity.”

Salim could not be reached for comments until the filing of this report.

In a video message, on Monday, Salim Malik said that he deserved a second chance like other guilty cricketers who have been allowed to return to the sport after serving their suspensions.

Malik, 57, was found guilty of match-fixing after a judicial inquiry in 2000. However in 2008, a civil court in Lahore lifted the life ban imposed on Salim Malik.

Malik played 103 Tests and 283 One-day Internationals in a career that spanned from 1982 to 1999.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2020