Waugh, Warne testimony nailed Malik

“… Having carefully gone through the statements of Mark Waugh and Shane Warne, this commission comes to the conclusion that they have not fabricated their statements against Malik.

“The cross-examination by the counsel has not been able to break the testimony that had been made by these players in Australia. Their version of events in believable. The `John’ factor does not do too much damage to Warne’s and Waugh’s credibility,” the Lahore High Court judge, who submitted his report into match-fixing allegations in Pakistan cricket in October last year, has said in his recommendation on Malik.

Waugh, Warne and May alleged that Malik offered them bribes to throw a Test and One-Day game during their 1994-95 Pakistan tour, but Fakhruddin G Ibrahim, the judge who held the inquiry, acquitted Malik citing insufficient evidence on record after the Aussie players refused to come to Pakistan to testify.

Mark Waugh, who deposed before Qayyum, has said Malik approached him during the presidential reception in 1994 to lose the first Test in return for $200,000 and that Warne was standing next to him when the offer was made.

“This commission finds Salim Malik guilty of attempting to fix the Test match that Shane Warne has stated Malik made him and Tim May an offer for. Shane Warne’s testimony has withstood cross-examination and Tim May has indirectly corroborated that the offer was made, or at least directly corroborated that it was rejected on his behalf when Warne called Malik from their room,” according to the report.

The panel, which imposed the first-ever life ban on a cricketer following the corruption charges, has also found sufficient evidence against him for making an offer to Mark Waugh for a One-Day game in the same series in Rawalpindi.

“Salim Malik made an offer to Mark Waugh, according to Waugh. Warne overheard this. Waugh accuses, Warne corroborates. This Commission therefore holds Malik guilty of attempting to fix the first Test,” the report adds.

The panel, which examined many other allegations and depositions against Malik, however, has not taken cognisance of a cheque former skipper Rashid Latif has alleged the former received to fix matches.

“ … Rashid Latif’s allegations are very weighty against Malik. The cheques however are not of great probative value as they could have been given to Malik for any number of reasons. However, if all the allegations are taken together, in totality, Malik is clearly guilty …, of bringing the name of the team into disrepute,” Justice Qayyum has said.

Fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman, who has also been banned for life, has been punished for perjury.

“Ata has prima facie perjured himself. Proceedings have been instituted against him separately. On the charge of match-fixing, this Commission has Ata’s confession which he has later resiled from. As against Ata that confession can still be believed. … By believing Ata-ur Rehman’s first affidavit, this Commission recommends a ban on him from international cricket for life.”

The panel has also levied Rs 4 lakh (pak) fine which the bowler had initially claimed he accepted from former skipper Wasim Akram to fix a match.

The Commission has also recommended fines on six other players, Akram (Rs 3 lakh), leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed (Rs 3 lakh), paceman Waqar Younis, batsman Inzamam-ul Haq, Akram Raza and Saeed Anwar (all Rs 1 lakh each).