Match-Fixing Haunts Pakistan Cricket, Says Former Player Mudassar Nazar
Former Pakistan cricketer Mudassar Nazar has shed light on the dark cloud of match-fixing that has plagued the team, particularly in the 1990s. Nazar believes that the fear of losing to India and the subsequent accusations of match-fixing created an immense pressure on the Pakistani players.
“In the 90s, Pakistan’s team was as talented as Australia,” said Nazar. “But there was a fear factor of losing, and I’m going to be a little controversial here. The controversy is behind match-fixing.”
Nazar explained that the Pakistani public was unwilling to accept that their team could lose to a better opponent. This led to a culture of suspicion and accusations, which weighed heavily on the players.
“Nobody was prepared to accept that they actually lost to a better team,” said Nazar. “So, at some stage in the early 90s, I was part of that team which was fearful of losing the game, and that was entirely due to match-fixing or fear of people believing the match was fixed.”
The match-fixing saga has had a lasting impact on Pakistan cricket, according to Nazar. The team’s performances have declined across all formats in recent years, and Nazar believes that the pressure and suspicion created by match-fixing has played a role.
“Unfortunately, the match-fixing saga took its toll on Pakistan team,” said Nazar.
Nazar also discussed the intense rivalry between Pakistan and India, which added to the pressure on the players.
“No Pakistani, no Indian, would want to lose this game,” said Nazar. “That wasn’t the case with the cricket, but with the general public probably.”
Nazar believes that the use of psychologists to cope with the pressure of match-fixing has not been effective.
“I have never seen a psychologist win a cricket match,” said Nazar. “A lot of the teams have employed psychologists all over the world. But it has never worked.”
