T20 World Cup 2024: Salim Malik's fixing accusations against Imad Wasim spark debates (WATCH)

Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik accuses Imad Wasim of deliberately wasting balls during Pakistan's loss to India at the T20 World Cup 2024, sparking criticism from Adam Gilchrist and Rashid Latif. The controversy highlights tensions within the cricket community as Malik's past match-fixing conviction adds irony to his claims.

Ovaise Shariff

First Published Jun 12, 2024, 9:27 PM IST | Last Updated Jun 12, 2024, 9:27 PM IST

Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik has accused Imad Wasim of deliberately wasting balls during the team's loss to India at the T20 World Cup 2024. Malik made these remarks while analysing the match on the 24 News channel.

During the game in New York, Pakistan, chasing a modest target of 120, ended up scoring 113 for 7, consuming 59 dot balls in the process. Wasim, in particular, faced criticism for his slow innings, scoring 15 runs off 23 balls. "You look at his (Wasim's) innings and it appears as if he was wasting balls, not scoring runs, and making things difficult in the run-chase," Malik commented.

Malik further elaborated on his stance, suggesting that Wasim was more focused on maintaining his batting average rather than taking risks to score runs. "If I'm a batter and I'm not getting runs, I would try taking risks, no matter if I get out. But he kept on eating up deliveries and then changed ends with singles," Malik said.

He also questioned the decision to promote Wasim up the order, noting that Wasim hadn't played much cricket since the last PSL, unlike Shadab Khan, who had performed well against the USA in the previous game.

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist weighed in on the controversy, criticizing the comments made by Malik. Gilchrist expressed irony over Malik, previously convicted for match-fixing, accusing another player of underperformance. "Saleem Malik, of all people...I'm just reading the comments and paraphrasing, but basically, he accused Imad (Wasim) of chewing up deliveries on purpose to make it a bit more interesting," Gilchrist remarked with a sarcastic smile.

Rashid Latif, another former Pakistan captain, shared the video on social media. He highlighted the irony of Malik's accusations, calling it an "international embarrassment." Latif's post read, "Adam Gilchrist finding it ironic that a convicted fixer like Saleem Malik is accusing Imad Wasim of 'underperforming deliberately' against India. Pakistani ex-cricketers are international embarrassment."

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