The great all-rounder gave the suggestion while recording his statement before the one-man Inquiry Commission of Justice Malik Muhammad Abdul Qayyum in the Lahore High Court on Wednesday.
``If a precedent is to be set for future generations, stringent measures will have to be taken in the form of bans and fines on errant players. Only those can remove the malady of match-fixing and betting from our society for all times to come''! said Imran Khan in an emphatic tone.
Imran Khan deposed before the Commission that he had no proof or documentary evidence which could prove any one guilty.
``However, the players, including the present captain of the team Aamir Sohail, have been talking about certain players about their betting and match-fixing. Wicketkeeper/batsman Rashid Latif has levelled charges against some players. I fail to understand what can be the motive of the Australian players for levelling charges against a player if those were baseless! Although I cannot prove that but I believe the charges can be correct'', opined Imran Khan.
Imran Khan said that his cricket career spanned from 1971 to 1992. He captained the Pakistan team from 1982 to 1992. He said that during his days there was no betting or match-fixing. All players fought as a team and the side achieved good results. He said that in 1994, when he read in the newspapers about charges of the Australian players, he went to the Pakistan Cricket Board office. At that time, Arif Abbasi was heading the board and he told him in the presence of Javed Burki that strict action must be taken against the players who were found to be guilty.
``I told the two office-bearers of the PCB that the guilty players must be dealt with severely. Even if the entire team has to be banned, must be banned. But I'm sorry to say that expediency prevailed and no action was taken. No doubt, the team had very fine players talent-wise. But if action had been taken, the malady would have been completely eradicated for all times to come'', said Imran Khan.
Imran Khan said that there had been no match-fixing or betting after that. But the morale of the team had been completely shattered. There was factionalism and it did not look like or fight as a team.
He said that he was a member of the Pakistan team which toured India in 1979 under the captaincy of Asif Iqbal. There allegations were levelled during a Test that there had been betting on toss but he could not categorically say anything about that. He had a lot of respect for Asif Iqbal, who was a very fine cricketer. Similarly, he had regarded Intikhab Alam as a decent person and very fine cricketer. When the judge asked Imran would he believe that Intikhab Alam had said that there had been match-fixing.
``Yes! I have no reason not to believe Intikhab Alam'', said Imran Khan.
Imran Khan said that during the Australasia Cup in 1989, he was told by Javed Miandad that four Pakistani players had been ``sold out to bookies'' and the final had been ``fixed''. He said that he put the whole money earned from matches earlier on the win in the final and the team went on to win the match. He said that once Javed Miandad was accused by a player of having fixed a match. However, he did not believe him because in his (Imran's) opinion, one player cannot fix a match.
``For fixing a match, in my opinion, the captain and some key-players have to be involved. Otherwise, you cannot fix a match'', said Imran Khan while giving his opinion.
Imran Khan said that Bombay and Dubai were the biggest gambling centres. He said that a gambler Iqbal Bhatti had told him in Dubai that during the entire gambling history in cricket only once no gambling was done on cricket because, according to him, the whole Pakistan team had been ``sold out''. However, Imran Khan said that he had no evidence to prove that.
Giving his impressions, Imran Khan said that betting and match-fixing began from a domestic match in Pakistan. It was a final of the National tournament which had been fixed and thereafter, the fixing of international matches also started. Boys also talked about that.
Replying to a question from the learned judge, Imran Khan said that a baseball final was fixed by a team in 1919. ``The authorities banned the members of the entire team for life and no one could dare fix a match after that''! said Imran Khan. Similar remedial measures were required here.
Citing two examples, Imran Khan said that once paceman Ata-ur-Rahman had told him that he was offered money by a player for ``bowling badly''. He said that Mudassar Nazar had also told him that some players had talked to him about fixing of some match during his benefit game.
Imran Khan said that the teams would win matches by will and determination to win. That was lacking in the present team although it consisted of many highly talented players. Hesaid that Mushtaq Ahmad used to be one of the best ``fighters'' and a team-man during his days. He said that Salim Malik also used to perform with passion during the matches when he was the captain of the team.
``I cannot say anything about the present team because I have not been following cricket matches regularly due to my pre-occupation (with politics)'', concluded Imran Khan.
Inzamam-ul-Haq completed his statement before the Inquiry Commission on Wednesday. He said that performance of the team had not been good and all the players, including himself, had to take oath in Johannesburg that they willperform sincerely.
Inzamam affirmed on a question from Advocate Ali Sibtain Fazli that he was run out on his own call in a one-day international while Salim Malik was batting at the other end. He said that Salim Malik was also bowled out soon after his dismissal but, in his opinion, Salim Malik did not play that shot deliberately because he had been executing that stroke in the same way before.
The burly middle-order batsman Inzamam-ul-Haq said that some doubts had been created by performances of certain players, but the team won those matches. He agreed while replying to a question from the learned judge that he too suspected from the results of some matches that there was something wrong somewhere. Inzamam-ul-Haq said that the accusers should be askedto substantiate their allegations with proof. Inzamam said that if some players were found guilty, they must be punished and a ban must be imposed on them.
While replying to a question from the Commission, Inzamam said that his knee was better but he was not hundred per cent fit.
Former captain and coach of the present team Javed Miandad recorded his statement in camera.
Registrar has been instructed by the learned judge to ask all those players, who have appeared before the Inquiry Commission to file statements about their own assets and those of their spouses and dependants.