Following Saqlain Mushtaq’s declaration of interest on Friday in becoming England’s spin-bowling coach, both the ECB and Saqlain declined to comment on his role in the controversial World Cup match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1999.
Speaking in Mohali ahead of the third Test between England and India, Saqlain more than once replied “would love to” when asked about extending his existing role as England’s spin-bowling consultant into a full-time role. He joined the squad for the first Test and had his contract extended until the end of the third Test which starts on Saturday.
But the ECB was not prepared to answer The Telegraph’s question about whether it would exercise due diligence in vetting Saqlain’s past as Pakistan's off-spinner - notably the fact that Saqlain was mentioned in the Qayyum Report into match-fixing, which exonerated him from blame, in one specific match, and his bowling in Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh at Northampton.
The odds on a Pakistan win, with legal British bookmakers, were 33-1. Bangladesh had never previously won a one-day international against any Test-playing country except once against Zimbabwe. Yet Bangladesh won by 62 runs against Pakistan, who still qualified for the next stage of the 1999 World Cup, the Super Sixes.
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