KARACHI: Cricketers involved in match-fixing should be hanged, former Pakistan batting great Javed Miandad suggested Friday.
Match-fixing and spot-fixing — determining the outcome of a specific part of a game rather than the overall result — have stained the country’s sport for several years.
“Players who are involved in spot-fixing should be severely punished,” Miandad, who scored Pakistan’s second-highest Test runs with 8832, said on his YouTube channel.
“Spot-fixers should be hanged because it is similar to killing someone, and so the punishment should also be on the same lines. An example should be set so that no player even thinks about doing something like this.”
His remarks follow player Mohammad Hafeez’s protests over former opener Sharjeel Khan’s return despite receiving a five-year ban in 2017 over a spot-fixing case.
Meanwhile, Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal faces a ban of six months to life after being charged for not reporting a fixing offer last month, a crime under Pakistan Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code.
Fixing was exposed in 1995 after Australians Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh alleged then-skipper Salim Malik offered them bribes to under-perform in matches.
That led to a judicial inquiry that banned Malik for life.
But in 2010, then Pakistan skipper Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were involved in a spot-fixing case that led to five-year bans.
Only Amir returned to international cricket — a comeback that also raised opposition, most prominently by Hafeez.
Ex-Pakistan cricket great Miandad says spot-fixers should be hanged
https://arab.news/29t6d
Ex-Pakistan cricket great Miandad says spot-fixers should be hanged
- 'An example should be set,' Miandad said on his YouTube channel on Friday
- Cheating in cricket via match and spot-fixing has stained the country’s favorite sport for years
Pakistan police tighten New Year’s Eve security in capital, warn of jail time for aerial firing
- More than 350 traffic policemen have been deployed to ensure public safety and smooth traffic flow
- New Year celebrations in Pakistan witness heightened security to prevent one-wheeling, rash driving
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s capital police warned on Wednesday anyone engaging in aerial firing on New Year’s Eve in Islamabad could face jail time, as authorities deployed more than 350 traffic officers to ensure public safety and smooth traffic flow.
Around eight special traffic squads have been formed to curb one-wheeling and rash driving, according to Pakistani state media. The report quoted an Islamabad traffic police spokesperson urging parents to prevent minors from underage driving.
New Year’s Eve in Pakistan sees heightened security in major cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, with authorities increasing police presence to control incidents like aerial firing that have caused deaths in the past.
“Whoever fires in the air will go straight to jail,” said the law enforcement department in a post on X. “Islamabad Police will take strict action against those who fire in the air.”
The post said the police were “determined to ensure security and traffic flow on the occasion of the New Year.”
“One-wheeling is a crime that inevitably results in lifelong disability or loss of precious lives,” it added.
According to a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), heavy vehicles will be barred from entering Islamabad between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. It added that parking on roads will be prohibited, and police will remain on duty throughout the night.
Aerial firing is a common but dangerous practice in Pakistan during celebrations, and it has caused several fatalities in the past.
More than 20 people including two women were injured in multiple incidents of aerial firing in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on the last New Year’s Eve.
According to data compiled by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed, 19 people were injured due to aerial firing in 2020, 11 in 2021, 20 in 2022, 40 in 2023 and 26 in 2024.
