Friday, Nov 11, 2011
Gulf News
A coach trails the spot fixing s
Younus narrates how players cheated secretly during Lord’s Test
Dubai Waqar Younis was witness to the most shameful incident in cricket history when, as coach of the Pakistan team, three of his players indulged in spot-fixing. Today the three players, who cheated him as well as their country, are in jail.
In an exclusive interview to Gulf News, Younis narrates his heart-breaking moments during and after the Lord’s Test match last year and how everyone in the team had to struggle to maintain their mental balance.
“It was heartbreaking when it happened. There was depression, a lot of frustration and anger over what happened. Wherever we went the media followed us, even on helicopters, showing what we are doing.
“Every move of us was being watched. Cricket is a sport where you make friends and not enemies and not run away from anyone. It was tough but I must give credit to the boys because still they could focus on the game and manage a 3-2 result in the one-dayers.”
To a query as to whether he ever got the feeling that Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt’s concentration was elsewhere and not focusing on his tips as the coach during the England series, Younis said: “I wish I could even have thought of it.
‘Feeling bad’
“When Salman Butt was made the captain I thought we have finally found a captain who can go on for a longer period of time because we have been struggling without a captain. Butt could have led Pakistan for the next seven to ten years. I never knew all this was happening and I feel so bad it all happened.”
When asked whether he had personally met Mazhar Majeed, the agent who destroyed the career of the cricketers by luring them into spot-fixing with money, Younis said: “Yes I met him many times during the series. I was told he was the agent of the boys and looks after their contracts. It never occurred to me that he was such a kind of person. I am happy that it has all ended now, but ended in a bad way.”
Did he ever get a feeling that any of the matches that he had played were fixed? “Never had I had this feeling. Maybe I was too naive, I guess, because I cannot think of any matches being fixed. That is why when Justice Malek Quayyum’s report on match-fixing came out I could not get the right picture.
Top profession
“I never realised it because I consider cricket as a top profession and I played it clean. So it is so sad this has happened and I will be happy if cricket from now on will be clean. This incident is a lesson to the youngsters. I hope youngsters will learn from it and realise that spending time in jail is not easy.”
Younis, who stepped down as Pakistan coach after the Zimbabwe series due to medical and family reasons, feels that justice has been done.
“Justice was overdue and I am happy it is being done. The world can understand and now look at Pakistan with a cleaner eye and probably a cleaner heart.”
By K.R. Nayar?Chief Cricket Writer
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
