Saleem Malik says he admitted fixing charges to trick the ICC

Former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik has made a revelation, stating that he accepted match-fixing charges in order to mislead ICC and get his life-ban lifted.

Saleem Malik said that the Pakistan Cricket Board asked him to sign a letter in 2013 which stated that the cricketer had admitted to match-fixing. According to the former player, PCB officials had told him that accepting the charges would pave way for the lifting of his life-ban.

PCB asked me to admit to fixing charges: Saleem Malik

“The statement PCB is talking about is from 2013 and not 2014. I met PCB Chairman Najam Sethi, COO Subhan Ahmed and Legal Counsel Tafazzul Rizvi inorder to get my life ban lifted. They asked me to sign a letter, where I admitted to match-fixing, to eyewash ICC and pave the path towards my rehabilitation process. Using that letter against me is absolutely ridiculous," Saleem Malik quipped.

PCB had recently put out an official statement, which was addressed to Saleem Malik. The letter mentioned that the latter's response on the sting operation conducted by the now-defunct English tabloid News of the World, two decades ago, was 'irrelevant and unsatisfactory'.

Saleem Malik submitted his response in June but it seems the PCB is not satisfied with it.

“You chose not to respond to the contents of the transcripts of a conversation that took place in April 2000. In the backdrop of the above, the PCB will be unable to proceed any further until such time you respond on the said matter.” The PCB said in a statement.

Saleem Malik was handed a life-ban by the PCB in 2000 following the release of Justice Qayyum's report. Saleem Malik has been not been a part of Pakistan Cricket in any capacity for a number of years.

Recently though, he has asked the country's apex cricketing body to lift his life ban to allow him to apply for coaching and other roles in the national cricket circuit.