Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif
has come out in support of former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne
who recently said that match-fixing is prevalent in cricket since 1992.
Latif himself fought against corruption in cricket throughout his career as he along with former middle order batsman Basit Ali alleged senior Pakistan players of losing matches deliberately in 1990s. That was the reason why Latif never played consistently for Pakistan although he is reckoned as one of the best wicketkeepers the country has ever produced.
The former wicketkeeper said that he knows Tillakaratne personally and the former Sri Lankan captain told him in the early 90s about the evil doings of some of the greats of the game. Latif claimed that Tillakaratne knows the Asian players very closely and many legends of cricket would be exposed if he decides to name them.
Rashid said, “I know him personally, he told me about this (match-fixing) in the 1993-94 as well. Nobody knows the subcontinent players better than him and if he reveals the facts then a lot of former cricketers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be exposed.”
The former Pakistan captain, who is currently the coach of Afghanistan cricket team, said that Tillakaratne is a man of his words and will stick to his commitment of revealing some big names who are involved in corruption. Rashid said that it might be damaging for the reputation of some former cricketers but truth should come in front of the world.
“As far as I know Hashan would honour his commitment and it would be extremely damaging for some ex-players of the subcontinent, but everything will be settled down if a deal struck,” the former Pakistan captain added.
Many international cricketers from various countries have been banned in the past because of their involvement in fixing matches or a phase of a match. This is about time that the International Cricket Council takes strict action against corruption in the game and makes sure that the result of all international matches are fair, otherwise the cricket fans would lose faith in the sport they love.
Latif himself fought against corruption in cricket throughout his career as he along with former middle order batsman Basit Ali alleged senior Pakistan players of losing matches deliberately in 1990s. That was the reason why Latif never played consistently for Pakistan although he is reckoned as one of the best wicketkeepers the country has ever produced.
The former wicketkeeper said that he knows Tillakaratne personally and the former Sri Lankan captain told him in the early 90s about the evil doings of some of the greats of the game. Latif claimed that Tillakaratne knows the Asian players very closely and many legends of cricket would be exposed if he decides to name them.
Rashid said, “I know him personally, he told me about this (match-fixing) in the 1993-94 as well. Nobody knows the subcontinent players better than him and if he reveals the facts then a lot of former cricketers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be exposed.”
The former Pakistan captain, who is currently the coach of Afghanistan cricket team, said that Tillakaratne is a man of his words and will stick to his commitment of revealing some big names who are involved in corruption. Rashid said that it might be damaging for the reputation of some former cricketers but truth should come in front of the world.
“As far as I know Hashan would honour his commitment and it would be extremely damaging for some ex-players of the subcontinent, but everything will be settled down if a deal struck,” the former Pakistan captain added.
Many international cricketers from various countries have been banned in the past because of their involvement in fixing matches or a phase of a match. This is about time that the International Cricket Council takes strict action against corruption in the game and makes sure that the result of all international matches are fair, otherwise the cricket fans would lose faith in the sport they love.
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