Saleem Malik

Name : Saleem Malik
Born : 16-4-1963, Lahore
Also known as Slim
Batting style : Right-hand bat

Profile

Saleem Malik was many things: a gifted, wristy, square-of-the-wicket batsman; the first man who really got on top of Shane Warne, in Pakistan in 1994-95; a fine overseas player for Essex (where he became known as "Slim") in 1991, if less so later; and an influential captain of Pakistan. Unfortunately his role in cricket did not end there. In 2000, he became the first player to be banned - from all cricket - for match-fixing, when Justice Qayyum's inquiry found him guilty. Shane Warne and Mark Waugh also testified that Malik had tried to bribe them to lose the Karachi Test of 1994-95 (which Australia did, by one wicket). He protested his innocence, appealed against the ban in 2001 but the Lahore High Court rejected it. He sought relief from the Supreme Court and after a seven-year wait, had his ban lifted by a lower court.