Match-fixing was at its worst in 1996: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar, on Monday, claimed that match-fixing was at its peak in 

1996 and said the environment in the dressing room was far from conducive.

“Trust me it was the worst possible dressing room environment at that time (1996),” Akhtar said. “There was a lot going on than just cricket and it was difficult to focus on cricket in the dressing room. It was a bad environment,” he added.

The controversial pacer’s claims have come just two days after Pakistani stalwarts — Javed Miandad and Shahid Afridi — settled a dispute which had the potential of once again bringing up the match-fixing allegations and scandal in Pakistan cricket.

Due to mediation from third parties, former captain Miandad took back allegations against Afridi, claiming that he had fixed matches for money. Miandad also claimed that he himself had caught Afridi doing this.

Afridi had threatened to take legal action against Miandad unless he apologised and took back his words.

The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ made it clear he was glad that the Miandad and Afridi dispute had been resolved. “I tell you if this matter had gone to court there would have been more dirty linen washed in public and lot of names would have again come up,” he said.

He said Miandad had perhaps gone overboard with his allegations against Afridi but felt that Afridi should have avoided making disparaging remarks about a senior player.

Akhtar also said that in 2010, he had also advised left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir to keep away from questionable characters in England.