‘I raised my voice but...’: Mohammad Hafeez makes startling match-fixing claims

Speaking on legendary cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, Mohammad Hafeez claimed that he tried to raise his voice against such wrongdoings but he was made to keep quiet in order to play for Pakistan.

Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez has made startling claims that he had to play with teammates who were involved in wrongdoings in the national team. Speaking on legendary cricketer Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel, the veteran all-rounder claimed that he tried to raise his voice against such wrongdoings but was made to keep quiet in order to play for Pakistan.

File image of Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez. (AP)

“Those players are like my brothers and I do pray for them but what they did, I was against that,” Hafeez said on Akhtar’s YouTube channel. “I raised my voice but I was told that they will play for Pakistan and if you wish to play as well, then you decide (what you want to do) and I was like really?”

“So I went home and took the advice as I did not want to spend giving away my positive energy for Pakistan. I continued along with all those players although that was wrong.”

I still say that it is wrong and it will never be fruitful for Pakistan. Bringing back any such player will never be fruitful for Pakistan,” he added.

The spot-fixing scandal that rocked Pakistan took place in August 2010, during the team’s tour of England. Then captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were sanctioned by the ICC for their involvement.

Butt, Asif and Amir were eventually banned for a minimum of five years in early 2011 by the ICC’s anti-corruption tribunal after they were first suspended in September 2010.

Earlier, Shoaib Akhtar too had broken silence on the issue and claimed he was surrounded by match-fixers in the national team. Akhtar stated he felt he was playing against 22 men — the opposition and also his teammates.

“I was always of the belief that I can never cheat Pakistan, no match-fixing. I was surrounded by match-fixers,” Akhtar said on the show Rewind With Samina Peerzada. “I was playing against 22 people (sic)— 11 theirs and 10 ours. Who knows who was the match-fixer. There was so much match fixing. (Mohammad) Asif told me which all matches they had fixed and how they did it.”

“I tried to make Amir and Asif understand. What a waste of talent. When I heard about this, I was so upset that I punched the wall. Pakistan’s two top bowlers, smart, intelligent and the two perfect fast bowlers were wasted. They sold themselves for a little money,” he added.