'I Will Ask Him Why He Wrote Such Remarks' - Saleem Malik On Wasim Akram's 'Treated Me Like A Slave' Claim

In his biography, 'Sultan: A Memoir,' Pakistan pace great Wasim Akram criticised former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik's attitude during their playing days. Akram, who made his international debut in 1984, claimed that senior teammate Malik forced him to massage him and clean his clothes and boots.

"He would take advantage of my junior status. He was negative, selfish and treated me like a servant, he demanded I massage him, he ordered me to clean his clothes and boots," read an excerpt from the biography. "I was angry when some of the younger team members in Ramiz, Tahir, Mohsin, Shoaib Mohammad invited me to nightclubs."

Now Malik has responded to the charges. "I was trying to call him but he did not answer. I will ask him what was the reason for writing what he did," the former batter was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Till I don’t talk to him or I don’t check his book. I don’t want to comment on it: Saleem Malik

In response to Akram's claim that Malik asked him to clean his clothes, he explained that Akram only needed to use the washing machine. "It's not as if he was washing it by hand," Malik said. "If I was narrow-minded, I would not have given him the chance to bowl. I will ask him why he wrote such remarks about me," he added.

"Till I don’t talk to him or I don’t check his book. I don’t want to comment on it. We are colleagues and spent good time together. So I don’t want to create any controversy," he added. "If I was selfish, then how did he play his first match under me? So why would I let him bowl," Malik said.

Previously, in his autobiography, Akram discussed his cocaine addiction. In a recent interview with the Grade Cricketers' Podcast, Akram revealed that he was forced to stay in a rehab facility in Pakistan for two and a half months.