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Cricket Players'The poor guy couldn't get me out. It's his anger towards me': Salim Malik responds to Shane Warne's bribing accusation
Malik has dismissed Warne's claims, saying that this is a part of publicity stunt on the former spinner's part to make sure his recently-released docuseries gets viewers.
Salim Malik has responded to Shane Warne’s claims that the former Pakistan batter tried to bribe him hoping the spinner would bowl poorly for Australia in a Test match in 1994. The legendary leg-spinner made a startling revelation that Malik, along with another former Australia spinner Tim May had offered him a staggering amount of money US$200,000 ($AUD276,000) to be precise to underperform.
Malik has dismissed Warne's claims, saying that this is a part of publicity stunt on the former spinner's part to make sure his recently-released docuseries gets viewers. The series titled ‘Shane’, which was released by Sony Pictures on January 15, captures Warne’s cricketing career, including details that have not been covered in his biography, and Malik stated there is no other reason why Warne would even mention him.
"Whenever a former cricketer launches his book or biography or anything or that sort, he tries to make things controversial to get maximum publicity. After 26 years, him brining it up means that he wants to stir controversy to attract more buyers. In the last several years, so many books have come out and people have followed this same pattern," Malik told Paktv.tv.
Warne claimed that Malik, who was captaining Pakistan offered him to bowl wide of the stumps. "We're feeling pretty confident that we're going to knock over Pakistan," said Warne in his upcoming documentary Shane.
"I knock on the door, Saleem Malik answers the door. I sit down, and he goes, 'Good match we've got going'. I went, 'Yep, I think we should win tomorrow though'. He goes, 'Well we can't lose. You don't understand what happens when we lose in Pakistan. Our houses will get burnt down, out family's houses will get burnt down'."
Malik added that it could also stem from the fact that Warne only once dismissed the former Pakistan captain in his career, which was during the 1998 tour of Australia. Malik reckons that Warne’s ‘anger’ of not having tasted much success against him could be a reason behind this statement.
“Apart from that, I don’t think he has any other motive. Otherwise, he remembered me after 26 years. These things happen in cricket but I guess the poor guy could never get me out. So maybe that’s his anger towards me which hasn’t come down,” added Malik.
