Saddened by the recent spot-fixing and match-fixing scandals in the IPL and BPL, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi today said that all stake holders in international cricket must take effective steps to curb such menace in future.
"These sort of scandals are very damaging for cricket as a whole. They are also unfortunate and sad. But I think now all stake holders involved in the game must ensure they don't happen again," Afridi told reporters in Lahore on Tuesday.
The former captain who has been dropped for the Champions Trophy said authorities must now take more measures to keep the sport clean.
"Steps have to be taken to ensure the credibility and image of cricket doesn't suffer anymore," he added.
Afridi said he was saddened to learn about the latest fixing scandals that had emerged from the IPL and BPL.
"Such leagues are bringing so much earning for players and if we don't protect their credibility we will suffer. Due to a few players all the players must not suffer," he said.
Talking about the Champions Trophy, Afridi picked Wahab Riaz as a key player for Pakistan.
"Pakistan has sent a very balanced team to England for the tournament. But the players will have to really perform well against some tough opposition to reach the semi finals," he said.
He said Riaz was a courageous and passionate player who can be very effective in English conditions.
"The way I look at it he, Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan have key roles to play in Pakistan's campaign in the Champions Trophy," he said.
He said Riaz had been in and out of the team since the 2011 World Cup for reasons not known to him. But he would definitely place faith in him as he could develop into a good allrounder.
Incidentally, Pakistan's former captain, Wasim Akram stated the same thing today to Geo News channel insisting that Riaz can be groomed into a good allrounder for the future.
