Scandal's new twist
Malik: I was a victim of an Australian conspiracy
Posted: Wednesday December 09, 1998 09:35 AM
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Malik says he is considering legal action against Waugh and Warne Shaun Botterill/Allsport |
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) -- Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik said Wednesday admissions by Mark Waugh and Shane Warne that they took money from an Indian bookmaker proved he was innocent of bribery charges.
Top Pakistani officials expressed shock that the payments episode, and the fines levied on Waugh and Warne, had been kept secret for more than three years, especially during a Pakistan government-ordered probe into Australian allegations that Malik had tried to bribe them to fix a match in 1994.
Malik said he was the victim of a conspiracy and was considering legal action against Waugh and Warne after they said on Wednesday they had accepted money four years ago from a bookmaker in return for providing pitch and weather conditions.
The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) revealed the two were secretly fined in 1995 for taking money from the bookmaker during a 1994 tour of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
"The fine imposed on them confirms their involvement with the bookmaker. On the contrary, I was exonerated of all charges in 1995," Malik said.
During an eventful day, Malik later learned that he had been recalled to the Pakistan side for the second test against Zimbabwe starting on Thursday.
Malik will replace Inzaman-ul-Haq, who withdrew because of illness and a suspected knee injury.
The judge in charge of the Pakistan probe said Wednesday's statements by Waugh and Warne had changed the "scenario" completely and cast doubt on their credibility.
Waugh testified at a hearing in October that Malik offered him a bribe during Australia's 1994-95 tour of Pakistan. Warne has also made allegations about Malik.
"It clearly reflects that I was a victim of a conspiracy hatched by the Australians," said Malik.
"I was in prime form at that stage [in 1994-95] when their allegations halted my career. I am considering legal action against them [Waugh and Warne]," Malik said.
The judge overseeing the hearing said the admissions would affect his probe but added he would still deliver a report to the government as planned next Tuesday.
"The confessions [of Mark Waugh and Shane Warne] have definitely given a new color to the story," said Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum.
"Their acceptance confirms that they were involved in unethical practices which makes their credibility doubtful. But that doesn't mean that whatever Mark Waugh has said [in his testimony in October] is inaccurate.
"It is difficult to say at this stage what would I write [in the report] but the scenario has changed completely," the judge told Reuters from Lahore.
Malik has denied the allegations. Three and a half years ago he was suspended for seven months while a retired judge examined the same accusations in an internal probe for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
He was cleared of all charges then, but the case was reopened this year because of public and media pressure.
The head of the PCB blasted Australian cricket officials for keeping the fines secret.
"We find this news very shocking because the incident happened four years ago and the ACB knew about it when they took internal action," PCB chairman Khalid Mahmood said.
"This means that all the cards were not placed on the table four years ago, or when Mark Waugh and Mark Taylor appeared before the judicial commission in October," said Mahmood.
"We will certainly lodge a protest with the ACB and will also formally approach the ICC [International Cricket Council] in the executive board's meeting to be held at Christchurch in January," he said.
PCB lawyer Ali Sibtain Fazli also said the disclosure diminished the reliability of the Australians' testimony.
"An appraisal of the evidence has to be made keeping in mind the dented credibility of Mark Waugh," he said. "I don't understand why the ACB hadn't informed the PCB while the Salim Malik issue was on."
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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