Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

"I deserved a second chance," says Mohammad Asif

Tainted former Pakistan bowler Mohammad Asif says he wasn't the first nor would he be the last to have indulged in spot-fixing and should have been treated better by his country's Cricket Board, which gave "everyone a second chance" except for him.

Asif was banned for seven years for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal during Pakistan's tour of England, where he bowled deliberate no balls for money. He also served jail time in the UK after being found guilty along with Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt.


Asif said he should have got a second chance like many others, whom he did not name.

"Everyone makes mistakes and I did too. Players had been indulging in fixing before me and even after me. But those before me are working with PCB and there are few after me still playing," Asif told ESPNCricinfo.

"Everyone was given a second chance and there are few who never got the same treatment (as me). PCB never tried to save me regardless of the fact that I am the kind of bowler who was highly regarded by everyone in the world.

"But anyway I'm not sitting around brooding about the past or hung up on it."

Asif said he takes pride in the performances he dished out in his limited career.

"However much I played in my career, I made it count, duniya hila ke rakh di thi (I shook up the world). That is more important for me to think about. Even today, so many years later, the best batsmen in the world still remember me and they talk about me.

"Just think how big the impact was that I had on the world. So this is what makes me proud - that there is a reason KP, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla talk highly about me. That is what makes me happy."

The 37-year-old, who also failed a dope test in 2006 and served a one year suspension for it, admitted that he "should have behaved better off the field".

"That is where I had issues. I want to give the kids this message that when you cross the boundary line into the field, your ambition should be to do well for yourself and for your team."

"I was selfish as a bowler because I wanted to take wickets, and that was to help the team win. Being selfish isn't bad if you're playing your part for the team," he said.

Asif remembered the days when he made the ball talk and created a lasting impression on players like Wasim Akram and Mudassar Naazar.

"I proved myself not just once but repeatedly. I got the same batsmen out more than once, and it's not like I bowled one fluke great delivery and never did it again.

"With ball in hand I was in control. Moving the ball in and out wasn't just a one-off thing. And I didn't learn to do it in days. It took me years and I worked really hard for it."

Asif did not like the fact that Amir retired from Test cricket at the age of 27, saying he let PCB down with his decision since the Board helped him a lot in his difficult time.

"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."

"If they (the PCB) had done the same with me, then I'd still be available to rescue Pakistan in Test cricket for the next two years. I know there are fitness standards, but I can work that out and whatever is required I can do it."

More For You

Strike-Muridke-Pakistan-Reuters

Rescuers remove a body from a building after it was hit by an Indian strike in Muridke near Lahore, Pakistan, May 7, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

Reuters

Who are LeT and JeM, the groups targeted by Indian strikes?

INDIA said on Wednesday it had carried out strikes on nine locations in Pakistan that it described as sites "from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed." The action followed last month’s deadly attack in Kashmir.

India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, have fought two wars since their independence from Britain in 1947 over the disputed region of Kashmir, which both countries control in part and claim in full.

Keep ReadingShow less
Karan Johar opens up on Suhana and Aryan Khan

Karan Johar praises Suhana and Aryan Khan for carving their own paths in the industry

Getty Images

Why Karan Johar thinks Suhana Khan and Aryan Khan are paving their own way in Bollywood

Karan Johar has known Shah Rukh Khan's children, Suhana and Aryan, for years, almost like family. But in a recent chat on Raj Shamani’s podcast, the filmmaker stripped away all the glam and sentimentality to talk plainly about their journeys in the film industry. “These two are not just star kids, they’re serious about their work,” he shared.

Starting with Suhana, Karan didn’t shy away from the criticism she received after The Archies. But he pointed out that her next film King, opposite her father Shah Rukh Khan, will be a real game-changer. “People will finally see her for who she is on screen,” he said, adding that she’s put in the hours, studied the craft, and is not relying on her last name. According to him, Suhana’s work speaks for itself. He’s seen her earlier performances and believes King will prove there’s a real actor in her, one with her own voice, not just a shadow of her father.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Outpouring of emotion’ as Zia returns after treatment abroad

Khaleda Zia

‘Outpouring of emotion’ as Zia returns after treatment abroad

BANGLADESH’S former prime minister, Khaleda Zia, who is also chair of the powerful Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned home to cheering crowds on Tuesday (6) after months abroad for medical treatment.

Zia, 79, led the south Asian nation twice but was jailed for corruption in 2018 during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina, her successor and lifelong rival who barred her from travelling abroad for medical care.

Keep ReadingShow less
Disney to open new theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi

The UAE location is seen as strategically valuable for Disney due to its accessibility

Getty

Disney to open new theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi in partnership with Miral

The Walt Disney Company has announced plans to develop a new theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi, marking its first such venture in the Middle East. The project will be delivered in collaboration with UAE-based destination developer Miral, and will be located on Yas Island, already a hub for entertainment and leisure in the United Arab Emirates.

This new development will become Disney's seventh theme park resort globally. According to the announcement made on 8 May, Disney will not be contributing capital to the project. Instead, Miral will fully fund, develop, and build the park, while Disney Imagineers will oversee the creative design and operational aspects. The entertainment giant will earn royalties from the venture.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK-India FTA hailed as historic milestone in ties

Jonathan Reynolds with Piyush Goyal in London last week

UK-India FTA hailed as historic milestone in ties

BRITAIN and India finalised a long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday (6), which both countries hailed as a historic milestone in their bilateral relations.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described it as “a landmark deal with India – one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, which will grow the economy and deliver for British people and business.”

Keep ReadingShow less