Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that Saleem Malik, who was banned for life on match-fixing charge, should be given a second chance to give something back to Pakistan cricket.
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has said that his former teammate Saleem Malik should get a second chance to be a part of Pakistan cricket in some way. Malik was handed a life ban in 2000 on match-fixing charges, which was later lifted in 2008 by a local court in Lahore.
"It is unfortunate to see that his career ended like that. It should not have ended that way. But I believe he deserves a second innings to do something for the country," Inzamam said on his official YouTube channel.
Citing the example from India where Mohammad Azharuddin came back to Indian cricket, Inzamam said that Malik should also be involved. Azharuddin is currently the president of Hyderabad Cricket Association.
"Like in India, former captain Mohammad Azharuddin was also named once, but he is now the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. Similarly, Malik should also be involved in some kind of cricket related activities," said the former Pakistan batsman.
He further put Malik in the same bracket as Pakistan greats Mohammad Yusuf and Zaheer Abbas.
"The way Mohammad Yusuf used to play, the way Zaheer Abbas used to or the way Babar Azam plays, Malik was also same type of player. He has played more than 100 Tests for Pakistan and scored more than 7000 runs," he said.
"The new generation might not have seen him play but he was great player. I have never seen someone analyse the game as well as he used to do. He might have been away from the game for more than 10-15 year but he still has a lot to give back."
(With inputs from IANS)
