IPL-style leagues used for player corruption unseen in international cricket: Rashid Latif

Match-fixing and corrupt practices have plagued Pakistan cricket for the better part of the last two decade. From Mohammad Amir's fixing scandal in 2010 to Umar Akmal's most-recent controversy, the board has not been too successful in keeping its players safe from corrupt advances. However, former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif thinks that it is not only the players who are at fault.

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Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif accuses leagues like the IPL to facilitate match-fixing

As Rashid Latif appeared on the Caught Behind YouTube channel, the former Pakistan cricket captain made some shocking claims in which he blamed cricket boards for match fixing as much as he did the players. According to Latif's views, the cricket boards are not 100% honest when it comes to match-fixing and they often save players from facing consequences for their actions. Latif went on to say that the ICC does not do enough to protect players from match fixing.

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Pakistan cricket board facilitating match fixing?

The wicketkeeper-batsman went on to say that franchise cricket leagues like the IPL and PSL have been created to facilitate match-fixing. Although he did not substantiate and prove his claim, he accused top board members to be involved in fixing along with the players and therefore justified the protection that these players might receive. Rashid Latif alleged that the people the players are asked to stay away from are the same people who run their T20 franchises and therefore, match-fixing goes much deeper than it is portrayed to be. Latif alleged that the players are just "pawns" who further the agenda of the people in power, through match-fixing.

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Umar Akmal's trouble with the Pakistan cricket board

These allegations from Latif come when normally, this is the time for the peak T20 season where multiple tournaments follow each other. Umar Akmal recently missed out on the PSL after being held for not abiding with the anti-corruption guidelines. After the PSL, the IPL was supposed to start on March 29 but Sourav Ganguly's BCCI took a call to suspend the league till April 15 amidst coronavirus fears. Sourav Ganguly is yet to make a statement on the future of the cash-rich league.

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