Pakistan is a cricket-mad nation, and there\’s hardly any Pakistani who hasn\’t dreamt of playing for their country. So the players are see as celebrities and worshipped like gods, especially by the women. Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB) announces new talent and makes them overnight celebrities. But it also releases news about controversies involving these stars. And this has happened more than once, with almost all the players on the Pakistani cricket team. Let\’s take a look at some of the most controversial Pakistani cricketers and their stories about pakistan spot fixing that broke the internet:
Salman Butt
Salman was one of Pakistan\’s top cricketers until his involvement in the infamous spot-fixing scandal. Reports surface that Butt and teammate Mohammad Asif and fellow Pakistani player, Mohammad Amir, were involve in pakistan spot fixing during tour of England. Pakistan cricket team was leading the series at that time, but Salman decide to accept a sum of around $40K from an undercover reporter to bowl no-balls.
Salman was found guilty of the allegations and had to serve 30 months of prison time and his fellow players. He was ban for ten years which was later reduce to five on appeal. Even though his ban has expire, Salman Butt still hasn\’t got any offers from other leagues as he is consider by many as a \’cheat.\’
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Mohammad Asif
Mohammad Asif joined the Pakistani cricket team in 2003. He played his first test match against Sri Lanka and came into the limelight when he gained six wickets for only 17 runs. However, the Bangladeshi newspaper Dhaka Tribune reveal that he was involve in illegal activities. Asif was accuse of pakistan spot fixing along with teammates Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir. He confessed his involvement to the ICC tribunal but claimed that he was innocent. However, after he came back from England, Asif\’s bowling action was test in laboratories in Australia. The tests revealed that his bowling action was illegal because he exceeded the legal limit of 15 degrees at times. Asif\’s ban was lifted in 2014, but he has still not made a comeback into cricket.
Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir The youngest member of the Pakistani \’bent\’ bowlers, Mohammad Amir gained popularity early. He was first discovered by former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis at a bowling camp in Pakistan at 13. Amir had a very promising career and was consider one of the best bowlers after his performance against England in 2010. However, on 3 September 2010, Amir pleaded guilty to pakistan spot fixing charges from the Lord\’s Test match. As a result, he received a sentence of six months\’ imprisonment.
Amir later joined the Pakistan team in 2015 after his ban expired. He made his comeback against Sri Lanka in a test match in 2016, where he got two wickets for only 26 runs. The ICC cleared his action during this time.
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez, Another one of Pakistan\’s talented cricketers that fell victim to the controversy, Mohammad Hafeez, is a left-handed batsman and right-arm off-spinner. His career in international cricket started in 2003 when he played his first test match against Australia. However, all was not well for this mighty cricketer when reports surface that his bowling was illegal. He underwent tests in 2006, which the ICC cleared. But, in 2010, his action was found illegal again, and he had to undergo a re-test.
This time, his test reports revealed that his bowling actions were still illegal, but the PCB did not suspend him from playing. In April 2015, an independent assessment reveale that Hafeez\’s bowling action is within legal limits once again.
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Shahid Afridi
One of the greatest all-rounders that Pakistan cricket has ever produced is Shahid Afridi. His fantastic batting and bowling skills made him a player to be reckon with. He played his first test match against India at the age of 16 in 1996, becoming the youngest cricketer to play international cricket.
In 2010, Afridi was accuse of spot-fixing by a bookmaker during Pakistan\’s tour of England after he conceded runs in unusual circumstances on three consecutive balls. He received a six-month ban from the PCB for his involvement. However, the ICC did not find any evidence against him and lifted the ban.
Shoaib Akhtar The Rawalpindi Express is one of the most devastating bowlers for Pakistan in cricket. He started playing in 1993 and was soon labeled as \’the fastest bowler in the world.\’ Though he faced problems throughout his career over his bowling action, he successfully cleared ICC tests in 2004.
In 2010, after the spot-fixing saga hit Pakistan\’s cricket team, Shoaib was ban from test matches for one year by ICC. However, he is currently serving as a bowling coach of Karachi Kings in PSL.