Pakistani players threw away matches: Javed Miandad
Miandad says unethical practices occurring during his time as coach has had ramifications on today's game as well
PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan’s former captain Javed Miandad claims that his decision to step down as the national coach in 1999 was due to the prevalence of corruption and unethical practices within the team.
"I told the then chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Khalid Mehmood to take action or Pakistan cricket would suffer irreparable damage in coming times. My conscience didn't allow me to continue as coach so I stepped down in 1999," said Miandad as quoted by a local newspaper.
Miandad, who played 124 Tests and 233 ODIs and also served as Director-General cricket in the PCB, said that by 1999 some players were openly indulging in illegal activities.
"In 1999 the menace of fixing was weakening the roots of Pakistan cricket," he added.
The legendary batsman was forced to quit as coach of the national team weeks before the World Cup in England in 1999 when some members of the team revolted against him.
Certain players in the squad initiated a coup against Miandad and refused to play under him claiming that the coach had made baseless accusations against them of fixing matches during an earlier tournament in Sharjah.
Miandad seemed to be an unpopular choice as coach as earlier two experienced players had reportedly threatened Miandad with bats during an argument in the dressing room, saying that the latter accused them of deliberately giving poor performances in a match against England.
Miandad was also annoyed by comments made by Mehmood last week saying that the former was removed as coach as he a say in selection decisions as well.
"What he has said is not the truth. The fact is that I had warned him then that some players were deliberately changing results and under-performing in matches. I told him to take action or Pakistan cricket would suffer in the coming years. But he didn't believe in me and today we are seeing the damage done to Pakistan cricket," said Miandad.
Read: Pakistani trio is fit to be offered second chance: Dave Richardson
"Some years later Saeed Anwar came to me and apologised to me for being part of the campaign against me and admitted that senior players used to instigate the junior players against me," he claimed.
"Later on in the World Cup, this same group of players were responsible for the shock defeat against Bangladesh and then what happened in the final is now part of history," he said.
This article originally appeared on NDTV.
"I told the then chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Khalid Mehmood to take action or Pakistan cricket would suffer irreparable damage in coming times. My conscience didn't allow me to continue as coach so I stepped down in 1999," said Miandad as quoted by a local newspaper.
Miandad, who played 124 Tests and 233 ODIs and also served as Director-General cricket in the PCB, said that by 1999 some players were openly indulging in illegal activities.
"In 1999 the menace of fixing was weakening the roots of Pakistan cricket," he added.
The legendary batsman was forced to quit as coach of the national team weeks before the World Cup in England in 1999 when some members of the team revolted against him.
Certain players in the squad initiated a coup against Miandad and refused to play under him claiming that the coach had made baseless accusations against them of fixing matches during an earlier tournament in Sharjah.
Miandad seemed to be an unpopular choice as coach as earlier two experienced players had reportedly threatened Miandad with bats during an argument in the dressing room, saying that the latter accused them of deliberately giving poor performances in a match against England.
Miandad was also annoyed by comments made by Mehmood last week saying that the former was removed as coach as he a say in selection decisions as well.
"What he has said is not the truth. The fact is that I had warned him then that some players were deliberately changing results and under-performing in matches. I told him to take action or Pakistan cricket would suffer in the coming years. But he didn't believe in me and today we are seeing the damage done to Pakistan cricket," said Miandad.
Read: Pakistani trio is fit to be offered second chance: Dave Richardson
"Some years later Saeed Anwar came to me and apologised to me for being part of the campaign against me and admitted that senior players used to instigate the junior players against me," he claimed.
"Later on in the World Cup, this same group of players were responsible for the shock defeat against Bangladesh and then what happened in the final is now part of history," he said.
This article originally appeared on NDTV.