'I was blown away': Shane Warne recalls being offered $276,000 bribe to bowl poorly against Pakistan

Widely considered as one of the most decorated spinners to have played the game, Shane Warne has made a startling revelation about being offered $276,000 to bowl poorly in a Test match. In an illustrious career spanning over 145 Tests, the leg-spin great scalped 708 wickets in Test cricket while 293 in One-day Internationals. But it was during his formative years when Warne was offered a staggering amount of bribe in Karachi.

It was during the 1994 Test  between Australia and Pakistan when the opposition skipper Saleem Malik offered Warne and Tim May US$200,000 ($AUD276,000) each to bowl wide of the stumps. "We're feeling pretty confident that we're going to knock over Pakistan," said Warne in his upcoming documentary Shane.

"I knock on the door, Saleem Malik answers the door. I sit down, and he goes, 'Good match we've got going'. I went, 'Yep, I think we should win tomorrow though'."

"He goes, 'Well we can't lose …. you don't understand what happens when we lose in Pakistan. Our houses will get burnt down, out family's houses will get burnt down'."

Australia needed seven more wickets to win the Test at Karachi's National Stadium when Warne, who was at the time was on an annual contract worth approximately AUD$25,000-30,000, turned it down. "I don't really know what to say. I just sort of sat there, stunned. And then I go, 'F*** you, mate. We're going to beat ya'," he responded.

Later in 2000, Malik was handed a lifelong ban from all forms of cricket for match-fixing. He ended up with 5768 runs in Test cricket including 15 centuries and 7170 runs in One-day Internationals. "When you talk about match-fixing now, people hope it doesn't go on," Warne told news.com.au.

"Back in that time, 30 years ago, there was no talk about it. It had never raised its head anywhere in any sport. When he offered me that, it was a bit like, 'What the hell?' I was blown away, I didn't know anything about it."

Warne and Tim had also informed Mark Taylor and national coach Bob Simpson about the incident, which was also communicated to match referee John Reid. "I don't need extra money to bowl crap," said Warne on being offered the six-figure bribe.

Warne was named Player of the Match for his 8/150 from 63.1 overs, albeit in a losing cause. Inzamam-ul-Haq and No. 11 Mushtaq Ahmed put up a 57-run partnership to help Pakistan register a narrow one-wicket win.

Warne was "shattered" with the outcome and recalled the look on Malik's face after Pakistan's dramatic victory. "We never should have lost," Warne said. "We had Inzamum plumb LBW a few times, Jo Angel did, and there were no neutral umpires then."

"We're standing at the ceremony at the end," Warne recalled. "I'm looking at the Pakistan group, and Saleem Malik's just sort of sitting there with this smug look on his face, like, 'You should have taken the cash'."