Former cricketer Mohammad Asif has expressed regret that he had never received a second chance after being banned over spot-fixing.
Opening up on his career, Asif said that his ambition was to finish his career on a better not while adding he does have regrets to not fulfilling his potential and become one of the legends of the game. However, Asif is of the view that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) resurrected everyone’s career who were indulged in fixing, before and after him, but never gave him a second chance to make a comeback.
Asif asserted, “I think whatever happened it had to happen and that is okay. Everyone has regrets in their life and a few want to talk about them, but I think I am fine. Everyone makes mistakes and I did too,” he stated.
The former fast bowler, who along with Salman Butt, the then Pakistan Test captain, and Mohammad Amir, then a 17-year-old teenage sensation who had already been compared to Wasim Akram, were involved in spot fixing during the final day of a Test match against England at Lords.
Asif has also been critical about the way the Pakistan Cricket Board managed the Mohammad Amir situation. Amir retired from Test cricket, aged 27. “I curse the PCB for how they rescued his career. But it was his obligation to help Pakistan cricket in a tough situation and he should have stayed, especially when they had helped him return. Anyway, it’s the PCB’s decision to let him go, but if he is meant to leave Test cricket at this age, it really is a curse upon those who fought so hard to bring him back. And did anyone ever take Amir’s name, saying he was the toughest bowler to handle? Definitely no,” he said.
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