SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AFP)
Pakistan's wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, who staked his career to expose corruption in cricket in his country and elsewhere, has begun another crusade.

Having convinced himself that Pakistan cricket is clean, he now wants his team to win next year's World Cup and ensure he is part of that winning squad.

From an outcast to a national hero who played a major role in Pakistan's resounding win in the first Test against the West Indies, Latif's career is an extraordinary tale of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity.

He stunned the cricketing world in 1995 when he walked out of Pakistan's twin-tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe, accusing the then captain Salim Malik of being hand-in-glove with bookmakers. Latif was ridiculed back home and thrown out of the national team, but decided his campaign to cleanse the game had gone too far to be called off.

In an interview to Indian magazine Outlook in 1997, Latif accused Malik and other colleagues, including Indian stars Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, of fixing matches at the behest of bookmakers. As the scandal grew, the Pakistan Cricket Board first instituted an internal inquiry, than a judicial one, leading to life bans being imposed on Malik and another Pakistani cricketer Ata-ur-Rehman.

Latif was suddenly elevated to Test captain by officials wanting to project a clean image, only to be dumped from the squad a year later and replaced by Moin Khan. Latif spent three years in the wilderness, during which time two other Test captains, Azharuddin and South Africa's Hansie Cronje were found guilty of malpractices and banned for life.

The original whistle-blower, meanwhile, worked hard at the nets and in domestic cricket and was rewarded with a place in the Pakistani team touring England last summer. Latif has not looked back since and cemented his place in the side with a magnificent 150 in the first Test last week, during which he achieved the double of 1,000 runs and 100 dismissals as wicketkeeper in his 28th match. A grateful Waqar Younis, the Pakistani captain, said it was "a shame" that Latif was kept out of the team for so long.

Latif, on his part, was determined to continue till the World Cup in South Africa early next year and hoped Pakistan would win. "I can't afford to be out of the team now," he said. "I want to be there at the World Cup and, God willing, we will win it."

Latif said he was proud to be the first cricketer to take on the menace of match-fixing. "It may have cost me a few years in the game, but I do not regret what I did. Exposing corruption in the game has given me a lot of satisfaction."

Latif maintained the current Pakistani team was absolutely clean, and qualified that with statistics. "Look at our record. We have won five out of six Tests since my return and lost only two one-dayers out of 20," he said. Latif conceded that some players he had accused of corruption were apprehensive when he returned to the team, but stressed there was no personal animosity.

"I have been speaking to Wasim Akram (one of the accused players). We had a difference of opinion, maybe we had a different perspective to the whole issue. But there was nothing personal. I do not hold him responsible for removing me from the team. He is a great player.

"Some of us may clash on personal issues, but when we take the field we are Pakistanis playing for Pakistan," he said.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd