Karachi: He is dismayed by the conviction of three Pakistan cricketers in the spot-fixing scam but former head coach Waqar Younis hopes it would prove beneficial to the game in the long run.
"I hope that the outcome of the trial would prove beneficial to cricket in the future and also serve as a deterrent to other players," Waqar said from Dubai.
The former Test captain, who resigned as coach in September after the Zimbabwe tour due to personal and health reasons, said for him the spot-fixing scandal had been one of the darkest chapters of his cricket career.
Waqar was the coach when the scandal first broke out last September resulting in bans on the implicated three Pakistani players, Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Mouhammad Amir by the ICC`s Anti-corruption tribunal and jail terms by the Southwark Crown Court in London after a criminal trial.
The court handed out a 30-month sentence to Butt, who was Test captain on the England tour, Asif was given a one-year jail term and 19-year-old Amir was asked to spend six months in a youth detention and correction centre.
Waqar said for him and Pakistan cricket, the spot-fixing scandal and subsequent developments related to it had been torture.
"I salute our team which despite this dark episode kept on focusing on the game and performing well even though there was so much pressure and spotlight on the team because of the scandal," Waqar recalled.
"The scandal I thought overshadowed the emergence of our team in England as a fighting combination," he added.
Waqar said while he felt sorry for the ordeal the families of the players have to go through but there is no sympathy for the jailed offenders as they had let the team and nation down.
"I just hope they repent what they have done and reform themselves. But the episode also shows the ICC and member boards need to much more to fight corrupt elements in the sport."
Waqar said Amir had bowled one of the three pre-determined no-balls during the Lord`s Test at the behest of Butt.
Waqar said when he asked him about it, it was Butt who spoke out and said he had instructed the pacer to bowl it due to some strategic reasons during the course of the Test.
Waqar said he had informed the ICC anti-corruption about this when he gave his statement as a witness during the investigations into the matter.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.