PEOPLE have been quick to judge the Pakistani cricketers, but what is happening may have nothing to do with money.
If these allegations of fixing are proven, it could be related to extortion, threats, and the well-being of their own family members. It would not surprise me if illegal bookmakers have told players that if they do not perform x and y, their family will be kidnapped or harmed.
In my time as Pakistan coach I gained some incredible insights into the workings of the country and the team, and I’ll never forget the time a player who we had not selected for a game the following day approached me, saying: “I was told I would be playing tomorrow.” My response was, “Well no, you’re not, you’ve obviously been given the wrong information.”
Then the skipper of the side called me late in the evening. I went to his room, and he was standing there with a very sombre-looking selector.
This selector said: “We must pick [the player who had earlier approached me], I have been told that if he is not in the team tomorrow, my daughter will be kidnapped and I will not see her again”.
At first we both laughed, but then we realised he was being serious. Our chairman then called the Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf, who phoned the people behind the threats and said they had better reconsider or else.
The next we heard the matter had been resolved.
This was one of the wackier incidents during my time with the Pakistan team, but it goes to show how serious these matters can be.
We must also remember that we are judging these guys by the standards of our own country, when their situations are vastly different.
The first time I met Mohammad Aamer was when he was 16, coming to an under-19s camp. He comes from a small village near the Swat valley and was delayed by three hours because the Taliban had closed the highway. That doesn’t happen in this country.
One thing that struck me about Aamer was his constant smile, his zest for the game. That has not changed.