Sixteen years after Pakistan's infamous match-fixing scandal at Lord's, the old ghosts appear to be making a comeback. In the wake of their emphatic 194-run loss to England in the second Test at the iconic venue, a damning internal inquiry has been launched by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) – with wider implications for the health of the national team.
As a result of their humiliating at the hands of the hosts, Pakistan's Test batting line-up has been decimated. With Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Zafar all axed, plus head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, a large part of Pakistan's Test set-up has been completely replaced. In their place, an extremely inexperienced-looking squad has been called upon – featuring seven uncapped players.
But according to insiders, this major shake-up was not merely due to the abysmal showing on the pitch.
Confiscated Phones and Internal Inquiries within Pakistan Cricket
Confirming the chaos within the camp, PCB Director of Media and Digital Communications Amir Mir admitted that a formal inquiry is underway.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” he said. “The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are considered.”
Escalating the gravity of the problem, reports from Pakistani media outlet 365 News suggest the PCB has taken the mobile phones of several players. The devices will remain with the PCB through the third Test, but the board has yet to name the players involved or formally comment on the reason for the confiscation.
Imam-ul-Haq Mystery
Adding fuel to the fire, PCB Director of High Performance Aaqib Javed aimed at opening batter Imam-ul-Haq, who suffered a junior grade calf tear during the Lord's Test. Despite Pakistan's daunting fourth innings chase, Imam did not have a bat in either innings, and drew sharp criticism from the team management.
“The Imam injury is a big question mark, and a deep disappointment,” he said on broadcast network Geo. “Players used to get injuries, but they would put on casts and play… How is it possible that a pulled muscle ruled you out of batting in both innings? He'll have to face an inquiry; I can't say he faked it, but a muscle pull like that cannot stop you from batting altogether.”
Echoes of 2010
While the location of this latest controversy has added a peculiar note of ironic inevitability, the PCB's history of corruption charges makes this far from a unique story. The very ground where the alleged spot-fixing was hatched was also the site where Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir conspired to throw no balls during a Test match in 2010.
As Pakistan prepare for the final Test with a radically changed team, the focus has moved away from the scoreboard. The uncapped prospects Razaullah Khan, Arafat Minhas and Saad Baig, and capped batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal have found themselves at the vanguard of the PCB's attempt to regain their reputation on the world stage – despite the phones being impounded, and instead of disciplinary hearings.
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