Shortly before his first Test innings, Rashid Latif was approached by Geoffrey Boycott.

"Can you bat, lad?" Boycott asked. "Yes," came the reply.

"Bet you a fiver you don't make 35," said Boycott.

"Done," Latif said defiantly - or words to that effect - and the pair shook hands over the wager.

After all, there was much riding on the match, not least Latif's reputation.

Four Tests into a five-match series, England and Pakistan were still locked at 1-1 and, having shot England out for 207 on the first day, this was Pakistan's chance to build a match-winning lead.

A gritty half-century later, Latif sought out Boycott who settled his debt with a smile.

It was possibly the last time that Latif himself smiled where gambling and cricket were concerned.

Just two years down the road, Latif announced that he was retiring from Test cricket, along with young batsman Basit Ali, both citing "burn out" as their reason.

Refused to play

But Latif and Ali had recently taken a stand against alleged corruption within the Pakistan team, accusing team-mates of throwing a Test match in Johannesburg earlier in the tour.

Clearly, the pair were either jumping ship, or being pushed.

Ali, a talented, clear-thinking batsman, did not play another Test match, but Latif did return, briefly, in 1998, even captaining Pakistan for three Tests before losing his place to Moin Khan.

Indeed, Latif was expected to return again last year when Moin was injured before the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan, 1-0 down, could not afford to slip up again in the three-match series.

But some of his former team-mates reportedly refused to play with Latif after they had been mentioned by the wicketkeeper in his testimony to Justice Qayyum, who was heading the nation's inquiry into match-fixing and betting.

It was a significant moment for a 23-year-old of humble beginnings, who had worked his way through the various levels of Pakistan cricket on merit.

The following year, on a tour of Australia and New Zealand, Latif played a pivotal role in a wonderful match in Auckland, in which his contributions of 32 and 33 were instrumental in Pakistan's series-winning victory by 33 runs.

Tampering

When he was next in New Zealand, in 1993/94, Latif took a record nine catches in a Test in Auckland.

Within a year, however, came the infamous tour of South Africa, which included the Test in Johannesburg which, Latif alleged, Pakistan threw.

The Zimbabwe leg of the tour was memorable for two heated arguments between Latif and Malik when Latif disagreed with his captain's decision after winning the toss.

Malik's behaviour throughout an acrimonious tour was strange the say the least.

In the third Test, he accused Zimbabwean umpire Ian Robinson of tampering with the ball when Pakistan were fielding.

Shortly after came the announcement of the retirement of Latif and Ali.

But the last word in the saga is to be Latif's.

"It is not easy to return to international cricket," he said.

"It takes a lot of hard work and mental strength to come with the same standards you had set previously."

Those standards were certainly the highest.