Former Pakistani cricket captain Salim Malik wants PCB, ICC to drop his lifetime ban, says deserves 'second chance'

Former Pakistani cricket captain Salim Malik, who was banned for life after being found guilty of match-fixing, pleaded with sporting authorities to drop his lifetime ban.

The 57-year-old was found guilty after a judicial inquiry in 2000 in a scandal that rocked Pakistan. 

Australia's Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, and Tim May had accused the former cricketer of offering them bribes to underperform during their tour of Pakistan in 1995.

While his ban was lifted by a Pakistani court in 2008, the decision was not endorsed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Now, Malik, who wants to coach, has argued that he deserves a "second chance".

"I have wanted to serve my country and players as a coach," he said in a video message.

Former fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman was also banned for life in the inquiry while six other players were fined.

Malik said he had spent years lobbying the PCB to reverse the ban. "Whenever I tried to serve as a coach I was not considered," said Malik.

The former skipper has played 103 Tests and 283 one-day internationals in a career that stretched from 1982 to 1999.

He applied to be Pakistan's batting coach in 2012 and was also in contention for the job of head coach at the National Cricket Academy in 2008 but was overlooked on both occasions.

Malik, however, argued that other players who were guilty of foul play have been allowed to return to the sport.

"Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Sharjeel Khan have been playing but I have been ignored," he said.

The three cricketers were banned for five years in a spot-fixing case in 2010, while Sharjeel was handed a similar sentence in 2017.

Three of Malik's former teammates said they supported lifting the former skipper's ban earlier this month.