‘Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Amir (Image credit: AFP) Former Pakistan all-rounder and national coach Abdul Razzaq revealed how, in a twist of fate, the plot first came to the attention of the team management in 2010 during Pakistan’s tour of England. Razzaq also recounted how then-captain Shahid Afridi slapped fast bowler Mohammad Amir after the young pacer had initially denied involvement in the scandal.On a Pakistani TV show, Razzaq said the fixing plot during the 2010 Lord’s Test spot-fixing scandal was discovered by a friend of his in London who was a part-time mobile phone repairer.
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“What happened was that Mazhar Majeed came to my friend and asked him to fix one of his phones for him. When my friend managed to get the phone working late at night, he found several messages between Mazhar and three players detailing plans to fix it in the match,” Razzaq said.
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Majeed was later jailed for conspiring with Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Amir to fix during the Test.According to Razzaq, his friend immediately showed him the news, prompting him to inform Afridi, who was the senior-most player in the team at the time.Afridi stepped down as Test captain before the series but remained the white-ball captain.“Afridi called Amir, then just 18, to his room and asked me to wait outside. I heard Afridi getting upset and asking him to tell the truth. As he kept denying it, I heard a loud slap and rushed inside,” Razzaq recalled.“Then Amir broke down in tears and confessed to the plot and all hell broke loose,” he added.Razzaq said the scandal might not have erupted if the Pakistan Cricket Board and team management had acted more quickly.“Some senior players have advised the team manager to fine the three players and send them home on disciplinary grounds before the ICC gets involved,” he said.Ultimately, Butt, Asif and Amir were banned by the International Cricket Council and later received prison sentences from the British Crown Court.Butt and Asif never played for Pakistan again, although they were allowed to return to domestic cricket after completing their five-year bans.Amir, whose age and early admission was taken into account, returned to international cricket in 2016. He continued to play until the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, although he had previously left international cricket for voluntary retirement between 2020 and 2024.
