Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has backed alleged bookmaker Mazhar Majeed’s claims that Australian players were “the biggest” when it came to rigging games.
Australia was dragged into the ‘fixing’ controversy when sports agent Mazhar Majeed, claimed on a recorded tape that Australian players would fix “brackets”, one of five particular periods during a one-day international that bookies liked to accept bets on. “The Australians, they are the biggest. They have 10 brackets a game,” he said in the tape played to a London court hearing the spot-fixing case.
Claiming match-fixing had been going on “for centuries”, Majeed also named celebrated former Pakistan fast bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as alleged culprits. “It’s been happening for centuries. It’s been happening for years. Wasim, Waqar, Ijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan – they all did it,” he was quoted as saying. While many of Majeed’s shocking claims may have been attempts at impressing the undercover journalist, his comments regarding Australian players being the ‘biggest match-fixers’ were entirely true, according to former Test cricketer Basit Ali. Cricket Australia and its players have denied Majeed’s allegations, however, Basit insisted that what the agent had said about the Australians was true.
As players, I am big fan of Australian cricketers. But as far as their attitude, antics and on field activities are concerned, I don't like them much. However, I am not willing to agree with Basit's assertion that they are the biggest fixers. Barring incidents of Mark Waugh and Warne, there have been no complaints or proofs against them. Basit has this habit of passing on the comments without any proof or details to substantiate it and the media takes it seriously and gives it prominent space. Going by Mazhar Majeed's accusations, why single out Aussies, we must also accept what he has said about our own former greats and other cricketers. Few moths back, when rookie fast bowler Junaid was picked for Pakistan, Basit had outrighly rejected him as a prospective international cricker due to suspect bowling action. He had very categorically said that Junaid will be called by umpires in his first match and won't be allowed to bowl in international matches again. One of the channels had given his statement prominence in prime time broadcast.
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