Banned’ Malik dropped from Pak Veterans team for Lanka series ‘to avoid controversy’

Karachi, Oct 1(ANI): Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life in 2000 from playing cricket, has been barred from representing the country’s veterans team in Sri Lanka at the eleventh hour in order to avoid creating ‘unnecessary furore’.

Malik was initially included in the Pakistan Veterans squad for a four-match one-day series against Sri Lanka.

However, the Pakistan Veterans Cricket Association (PVCA), which was adamant to include the former skipper in the team, was forced to reverse its decision following instructions from cricket authorities.

PVCA Chairman Fawad Ijaz Khan said that his association had no hesitation in having Malik in its team, but had to reconsider the decision on the instructions of a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official.

“Our body does not come under the PCB or the ICC. We had no issues having Malik play for us. It was only after Intikhab Alam, who is also the chairman of the Punjab Veterans Cricket Association, asked us to drop him to avoid any controversy that we reversed our decision,” The Express Tribune quoted Khan, as telling reporters prior to his team’s departure to Colombo.

“Alam told us that the ICC has not cleared him and he had reservations over Malik’s inclusion, saying that the former captain should not travel with a team carrying a national flag as it may create unnecessary furore,” he added.

Khan, however, made it clear that Malik would continue to be a part of the Pakistan Veterans team.

“We will continue to select Malik in our squads for future series,” the PVCA chief said.

Malik became the first player to be banned - from all cricket - for match-fixing in 2000, when Justice Qayyum’s inquiry found him guilty of trying to bribe the Australian trio of Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh to under perform during their tour of Pakistan in 1994.