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Court to hear Malik's appeal
10/05/2008 15:11 - (SA)
Lahore - Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik on Saturday said he hoped to overturn his life ban for alleged involvement in match-fixing after the country's top court granted him an appeal hearing.
Malik was banned by a match-fixing inquiry in 2001 after three top Australian players accused him of offering bribes for them to underperform.
But after Saturday's decision by the Supreme Court the 44-year-old said: "It is a sort of a win for me."
He said he was told he could start proceedings on May 19.
"This means a lot to me because I have been fighting to clear my name for eight years and once I get this ban overturned I would like to associate myself to cricket once again."
The May 2001 ban, imposed by an inquiry headed by high court judge Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, also prevented him from holding any office or involvement in any cricket-related activity.
The ban was imposed after Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh claimed he offered them bribes to underperform during Australia's 1994 tour of Pakistan.
Recorded statements
In 1995 Malik was cleared of the allegations by a one-judge commission on the grounds of lack of evidence.
However the Qayyum commission, which conducted an extensive inquiry that also included recorded statements from the Australian trio in Australia, decreed there was enough evidence to ban Malik for life.
Former fast bowler Ataur Rehman was also banned for life on charges of perjury during the inquiry, although that was lifted in 2003.
The Qayyum commission also fined six other Pakistan players - Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar and Akram Raza.
Malik's name also featured in an Indian match-fixing inquiry, which led to life bans for former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma in 2000.
Late South African captain Hansie Cronje, banned for life over match-fixing, also named Malik as an offender in a separate probe in South Africa.
Malik's appeal against the ban was rejected by Lahore High court in 2001. His appeal to the Supreme court has been pending since then.
In October 2006 India pardoned Azharuddin - a move that inspired Malik, who said: "India has already lifted the ban on Azharuddin and I feel my ban can also be lifted."
"I can't play cricket at my age now but there are hundreds of things linked to cricket which I can do and one is coaching," said Malik, whose efforts to start his own coaching academy were blocked by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2006.
Malik played 103 Tests and 263 one-day internationals for Pakistan between 1981 to 1999. He also led his country in 12 Tests and 34 one-day internationals.
- AFP
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