Pakistan match fixing scandal in 90s made them fearful of losing to India, says former Pak Test opener Mudassar Nazar

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Former national team cricketer and head coach Mudassar Nazar revealed the mental struggles faced by the Pakistan cricket team in the 1990s, particularly in the shadow of the match-fixing scandal that shook the sport.

Nazar, who was last seen in the role of the UAE national team head coach, said that the surge in match-fixing scandals in the subcontinent had led to a rise in the mental pressure on players during India vs Pakistan matches.

The discussion came as a part of the Cricket Predicta Conclave organised in Ajman, UAE, to celebrate the hundredth episode of the international cricket talk show 'Cricket Predicta'.

"If you look at the Pakistan team in the 90s, talent-wise, they were as good as India," Nazar said at the event. However, the ex-coach suggested that the fear factor went beyond normal competitive pressure. "The controversy was in match-fixing," he added.

The former Pakistan all-rounder pointed out that there was a perception in Pakistan that losing any match, particularly to a rival like India, would lead to match-fixing accusations.

"There was a lot of pressure on the Pakistan team because every time they lost a game, people thought the game was fixed," he said in the discussion. "Nobody's been prepared to accept that they actually lost to a better team."

Few match-fixing scandals have been as damaging as the ones that hit India during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Based on allegations made by former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar, several of the India vs Pakistan matches played in the Sharjah stadium in the UAE between 1991 and 1994 were flagged as being allegedly fixed.

The scandal, which later led to several changes in cricket such as the introduction of neutral umpires, had a psychological strain on the mindset of the Pakistani players. Mudassar Nazar, who was capped almost 200 times (76 Tests and 122 ODIs) by the Shaheens, said, "Unfortunately, the match-fixing saga took its toll on the Pakistan team."

Nazar reflected on the immense pressure the Men in Green were under during that period, often leading to an overwhelming fear of failure against their cross-border rivals India.

Cricket matches between India and Pakistan have always been high-pressure situations for players of both teams, and Mudassar Nazar explained that the pressure boiled both on and off the field.

"No Pakistani or Indian likes to lose this (India vs Pakistan) game," he said. As a result of these expectations, an extra layer of stress was placed on both sets of players. "That wasn't the case with the cricketers, but some of the general public," Nazar added, alluding to the intense scrutiny the players faced.

Despite the immense pressure on the players, Mudassar Nazar lightly dismissed the idea that Pakistan should have employed a psychologist to take care of the mental well-being of its squad. "I have never seen a psychologist win a cricket match," he quipped.