FORMER Essex batsman Saleem Malik has had his life ban for involvement in match-fixing lifted by a court in his native Pakistan.

The 45-year-old, who played for the county as an overseas player between 1991 and 1993, was banned in 2000 after an inquiry commission found him guilty of bribing Australians Shane Warne and Mark Waugh - another former Essex player - to lose the Karachi Test match in September 1994.

The two Australians have always strenuously denied accepting money from Malik, who also maintained his innocence and launched an appeal in 1995, which was rejected.

In May this year, the Lahore-born player approached the Pakistan Supreme Court, which decreed that an appeal should be heard at a lower court.

On Thursday, civil judge Malik Mohammad Altaf upheld Malik's appeal and lifted the ban, allowing the veteran of 103 Test matches to begin plans to open a cricket academy.

"I have served cricket for 19 years and today I feel vindicated," Malik said outside a sessions court in Lahore.

"I hope that talk of fixing never haunts cricket. Cricket is a pure game and is played by some nice and passionate players."

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it would respect the ruling.

"We will honour the decision of the sessions court and will not appeal against the ruling," its legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi told AP.

"The PCB did not impose the ban. We just implemented the recommendations of the inquiry tribunal."