Kolkata: Former world cup winning captain and an extremely popular political figure in Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been attacked with claims of having involvements with spot-fixing by a Pakistani politician.
Muhammad Mehdi, of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) further went on to state that Imran had deserted the team during the 1983 World Cup when they needed him the most.
As quoted by Tribune.com.pk, Mehdi said that there was a time in a match when Imran had refused to bowl an important over. Coincidentally, that very year, the legendary Pakistani cricketer bought a house in London.
He also called for a probe to reveal the hidden truth.
“A complete probe is the need of hour to trace out the amount Imran took in reward for his dubious refusal to bowl despite being the main striker of the team,” said Mehdi.
He also mentioned the fact that Imran Khan had a fancy for money, which was quite evident from the fact that the iconic all-rounder chose to play for the Kerry Packer’s series.
Pakistan have had their share of spot-fixing in the past when three cricketers- Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were convicted of this crime and were punished. Some time ago, spot-fixing rocked Pakistan cricket once again as players like Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Nasir Jamshed and the tall Mohammad Irfan found themselves entangled in this mess.
Amidst all these, such allegations made against legendary figures like Imran Khan is sure to raise an eyebrow or two.
Also, if these claims are proven to be true one day, it may sent shivers down the spines of Pakistani cricket lovers as they would then meet with the painful realisation that spot-fixing has a long history in the country.
Waqar Younis picks out the problem with Pakistan cricket; suggests PSL as a solution
India’s hammering of Pakistan by 124 runs last Sunday has left many across the border sad and disappointed. Pakistani legend Imran Khan felt that the loss was very, “painful” and had said that a change in structure was required. Speaking on his lines, another legendary Pakistani cricketer Waqar Younis has pin-pointed the problem.
While talking to OSN Sports, the former paceman said, “We have struggled for the last ten years now, that cricket has not been played in our country, so that’s a big loss.” He also rued the fact that the youth in Pakistan don’t get to see their own players performing ‘in front of them.’
Said Younis, “It doesn’t matter how much cricket you play here in (UAE) it leaves a big affect back home, the kids growing up don’t watch their heroes playing in front of them, so it is affecting us.”
However, at the end of it all, his words sounded optimistic as he said that more editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) played in the country could help bring up more talents to the limelight.
“Hopefully, the PSL going back to Pakistan, hopefully we will have few more games, and things will start getting better,” said the former cricketer.
(With inputs from crictracker.com)