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Wasim Akram faces legal trouble for allegedly endorsing a betting platform, Baji. A complaint was filed in Lahore’s NCCIA by Muhammad Fiaz. Akram has not yet issued a statement.
Wasim Akram (left) and Waqar Younis are counted among the greatest fast bowlers to have played the game. (AFP Photo)
Pakistan legend Wasim Akram finds himself in legal trouble for allegedly promoting and endorsing an online sports gambling and betting platform, according to a report in PTI. A complaint has been filed in the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore by one Muhammad Fiaz, seeking legal action.
Fiaz alleged that the ex-fast bowler was linked with a foreign betting App — Baji — as its brand ambassador. He requested the NCCIA to take strict legal action against Akram under the Electronic Crimes Act of 2016.
“A poster circulating on social media and a video clip show Wasim Akram endorsing the online platform, which has sparked interest among general users in the App,” the complainant said.
The report cited a NCCIA official confirming receiving the complaint and promising ‘action against him if the allegations are found true’. Akram is yet to issue a statement. Popular content creator Saad-ur-Rehman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, was arrested on Saturday in relation to the same app.
This is not the first time something on the betting side of the sport has threatened to taint Akram’s career. He was said to be involved in several match-fixing incidents during the 1980s-90s in Pakistan cricket, though he was never convicted or punished harshly. A Pakistan Cricket Board investigation had found him deep in the corrupt episodes of that time, but showed leniency due to his status as not only a senior figure but a world-class talent.
Akram played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs, picking up 414 wickets in the longest format and 502 scalps in the One-Dayers. In an interview that came out on Wednesday, a day after the allegations were brought to light, Akram credited it to his first captain, Imran Khan.
“I think whatever I did as a cricketer, off the field, on the field, credit goes to him. He used to give us a lot of confidence. He led from the front. He had a belief in his own ability. He was a hardworking cricketer,” Akram said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
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