On the eve of the Karachi Test in October 1994, Pakistan captain Salim Malik allegedly approached Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May with bribes of around US$200,000 each to underperform. Australia lost the Test by one wicket. Malik denied everything for years; Justice Qayyum's 2000 report found him guilty and banned him for life.
Salim Malik had been Pakistan's captain since 1994, succeeding Wasim Akram. His captaincy career was shadowed throughout by murmured fixing allegations. Australia's 1994 tour was his first home series in charge.
Australia toured Pakistan in October-November 1994 for three Tests. The first Test at Karachi was on a flat pitch with Pakistan needing 314 in the fourth innings. Australia were on the verge of winning when, with Pakistan nine down and three runs to win, Inzamam-ul-Haq edged a Shane Warne delivery for four byes — Pakistan won by one wicket. The result was suspicious; the timing of the win was perfect for any one with money on Pakistan to win. After the match, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May separately reported to the Australian Cricket Board that captain Salim Malik had approached them in the team hotel before the Test, offering each of them roughly US$200,000 to bowl badly and let Pakistan win. Malik allegedly said 'our houses will be burned if we lose'. The ACB sat on the allegations for years. Justice Qayyum's 2000 report — formed after Pakistan's 1999 cassette tape scandal — finally adjudicated. Malik received a life ban; the only player ever banned for life by Pakistan for match-fixing.
Hotel meeting on Test eve: Malik approaches Warne, Mark Waugh and May
Test outcome: Pakistan win by one wicket — Inzamam edges Warne for four byes
Warne, Mark Waugh and May independently report to ACB
ACB sits on the allegations for five years
1998: Mark Waugh and Warne fined separately for accepting cash from Indian bookmaker (different scandal but related)
April 2000: Justice Qayyum's report bans Malik for life
October 1994
Australia tour of Pakistan; alleged hotel meeting before Karachi Test.
October 11, 1994
Pakistan win Karachi Test by 1 wicket.
1995
Warne, Mark Waugh and May report to ACB; allegations kept private.
1998
Mark Waugh-Shane Warne fined for separate Indian bookmaker payments.
May 2000
Justice Qayyum report bans Malik for life.
“Our houses will be burned if we lose.”
“I was offered $200,000. I said no. I told the team and the board. That was supposed to be the end of it.”
The ACB's failure to publicise the original allegations made the slow-burn revelation worse when it finally came. Malik was banned for life in 2000; he protested innocence through the courts. Lahore High Court overturned the ban in 2008 but neither PCB nor ICC endorsed the overturn. Tim May retired in 1996 partly citing 'the system'.
The first major modern match-fixing scandal in cricket — and the case that kicked open the door to the 1990s and early 2000s revelations.
The Karachi Test of 1994 marks the beginning of cricket's modern match-fixing crisis. The Justice Qayyum report flowed from this case; the Cronje saga of 2000 and the IPL spot-fixing of 2013 all exist within the legal and institutional framework that began at Karachi. Malik's case remains the textbook for cricket corruption.
Australia
1998-12-08
On December 8, 1998, the Australian Cricket Board revealed that Mark Waugh and Shane Warne had been fined in 1995 for accepting cash from an Indian bookmaker named 'John' (later identified as Mukesh Gupta) in exchange for pitch and weather information. The ACB had concealed the fines for three years. The cover-up became a bigger scandal than the original incident.
South Africa vs India
2000-04-07
On April 7, 2000, the Delhi police Crime Branch announced they had recordings of South African captain Hansie Cronje discussing match-fixing arrangements with London-based Indian bookmaker Sanjeev Chawla. The wiretap had been placed for an extortion case unrelated to cricket. A police officer's son recognised Cronje's voice on a tape brought home — and the biggest scandal in cricket history began.
Multiple — international
2000-11-01
Once a Syndicate Bank clerk in Delhi, Mukesh Kumar Gupta — alias 'MK' alias 'John' — became the most consequential bookmaker in cricket's match-fixing era. After Hansie Cronje named him in April 2000, Gupta walked into the Central Bureau of Investigation in Delhi, gave a detailed statement, and named Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Salim Malik, Mark Waugh, Shane Warne, Brian Lara, Aravinda de Silva and others as cricketers he had paid for information or under-performance.