Former Pakistan Seamer Aaqib Javed Makes Sensation Claim, Reveals He Was Told To Fix Matches Or Have His Career Ended

"Lavish cars and millions of rupees were handed over to a cricketer," Javed was quoted as saying on a local Pakistan new channel as per Cricket Pakistan.

Aaqib Javed

New Delhi: Former Pakistan seam bowler Aaqib Javed has created quite the storm in the cricketing circles after he made a stinging claim which cited that his former teammate Saleem Pervez was the one who introduced Pakistan cricketers to the bookies during his playing days with the national team. Javed went onto say that Pakistani cricketers were offered lucrative bounties like lavish cars and millions of rupees in return for fixing matches. "Lavish cars and millions of rupees were handed over to a cricketer," Javed was quoted as saying on a local Pakistan new channel as per Cricket Pakistan. "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," the 47-year-old said about Pervez, who played his only ODI against West Indies in 1980 and passed away in April 2013. According to the 1998 Qayyum report, Pervez had confessed to offering money to Saleem Malik and Mushtaq Ahmed. In an earlier interview to Cricket Pakistan, Javed who doned the national jersey for Pakistan in 22 Tests and 163 ODIs for Pakistan, had revealed that his strong stance on match-fixing had a major bearing on shortening his international career. "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," the former right-arm fast bowler said. "People tried to sideline me from tours because of my stance and would also reprimand those people who would talk to me." Javed was one of the leading seamers during the early 90s and formed part of the famous Pakistani pace battery which had legends like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in their ranks. Javed was part of the Pakistan team which won their maiden World Cup title in 1992, announced his retirement in 1998.