Former Pakistan player Aaqib Javed has revealed that he was approached to fix matches and was told that if he didn’t comply, his career would be over. He accused former Pakistan cricketer Saleem Pervez of being a mediator who introduced players to bookies to fix matches.
“Lavish cars and millions of rupees were handed over to cricketers. I was also asked to fix matches and was told that if I did not comply, my career would be finished,” Javed was quoted as saying to a Pakistan news channel.
“When I came to know about fixing, I took a strong stance and stood by it. I don’t regret the fact that it shortened my career as I strongly believe in my values. People tried to sideline me from tours because of my stance and would also reprimand those people who would talk to me,” he added.
Saleem Pervez is an ex-Pakistan cricketer who played only an ODI against West Indies in 1980. Pervez had confessed to having offered players money after the match-fixing scandal that rocked Pakistan cricket in 1998. He passed away in 2013.
Javed had also alleged that former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram kept him out of the team after he refused to fix matches, saying the pacer would never play for the national team as long as he was captain. His career ended after the scandal broke out though he had refused to throw matches.
