Shoaib Malik accused of match-fixing by former Pakistan cricketer

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has stirred controversy with startling allegations against former all-rounder Shoaib Malik, accusing him of involvement in match-fixing. Malik, who is currently serving as one of the five mentors for the ongoing Champions One-Day Cup, has been appointed as the mentor for the Stallions team.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ali accused Malik of being involved in match-fixing and voiced strong criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for naming Malik as a mentor for the Champions Cup domestic tournament.

“Those people who cannot think about the country, should not be appointed. Those who have admitted that they deliberately lost a match, should not be the mentor. If you want evidence, I will give it. Ramiz Raja Saheb interviewed Shoaib Malik. What did he say?” Basit said.

Additionally, Ali expressed frustration over the appointment of Mohammad Haris as the captain of Stallions, despite the presence of Babar Azam in the squad. He criticized Azam, calling him a "coward" for not refusing to play under Haris' captaincy, suggesting that Azam should have taken a stand like Umar Akmal or Ahmed Shehzad in similar situations. 

“The only regret I have for Babar Azam is that everyone became captain but Shoaib Malik did not make him the captain and went for Haris instead. From Babar Azam’s pocket, you can pick out 10s of Haris’,” Basit said.

“That is such a big insult to him. Babar is also a coward. He should have done it like Umar Akmal or Ahmed Shehzad refused to play,” he added.

In response to the captaincy controversy, Shoaib Malik defended his decision, highlighting Haris’ potential. 

”We’ve had discussions. Only those players would be selected as the captain who can be groomed into the role per my point of view and those who have some abilities as well. In my perspective, the skills a captain needs are different to personal performances. I plan on picking my captain who has the skills and can give success to Pakistan in the long run,” Malik said.

Alongside Babar Azam, Pakistan's Test captain Shan Masood is also part of the Stallions team. Despite this, Malik remains confident in Haris' future potential as a leader and supports his appointment as captain.