Former Pakistan player Aaqib Javed has revealed the name of the player who once approached him to fix a match. In a startling revelation, he took Saleem Pervez’s name by levelling some serious charges on him.
Meanwhile, Aaqib’s career was short-lived as he played his last match for Pakistan at the age of 25. He still remains the youngest bowler to pick a hat-trick in ODIs. He was one of the brightest talents during his prime days.
Saleem Pervez asked me to fix matches – Aaqib Javed
Aaqib Javed, who previously coached the UAE national team and Lahore Qalandars said that the offer came through a former cricketer. He also revealed that the fixers also threatened to finish careers.
“Lavish cars and millions of rupees were handed over to a cricketer. I was also asked to fix matches and was told that if I did not comply, my career would be finished. Players were approached with match-fixing offers through a former cricketer named Saleem Pervez,” Aquib said.
When asked if his refusal to fix matches ended his shortened his career, Aaqib Javed said that people wanted to sideline him from many tours. The former cricketer believes he failed to make it big in international cricket because he stood by his values and ethics.
“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 Parvez, who played one ODI for Pakistan in 1980, passed away in 2013 at the age of 65 in Pakistan. Pervez had confessed giving Salim Malik and Mushtaq Ahmed $100,000, in a bid to fix a final in Sharjah during a series against Australia in 1994.
Another name that comes up in the match-fixing scandal is that of Saleem Malik, who was found guilty of match-fixing and was banned for life after a judicial inquiry in 2000 in a scandal that rocked the cricket-mad nation.