Zia, Qadir demand probe on alleged involvement of bookies

Karachi, July 31 (PTI) Former PCB Chairman Lt General
(Retd) Tauqir Zia and former chief selector Abdul Qadir have
demanded an inquiry into the presence of some Indians on the
same floor where the Pakistan team was staying in a Colombo
hotel as rumors about possible match-fixing continued.

"I think it is best if the board carried out independent
investigation to find out who these people were so that
speculations could be laid to rest and we don't have more
match fixing rumors," Zia said.

Qadir noted that it was strange that captain, Younis Khan
and manager Yawar Saeed were giving contradictory statements
on the issue.

"Younis is saying something else and Yawar the opposite
which itself is suspicious to me. The board must hold an
inquiry and find out the facts of this whole incident," Qadir
said.

Yawar had initially tried to play down the incident and
said he couldn't say who the Indians were while Younis had
denied anyone had approached them.

Sources in the PCB said the board itself had been
surprised when the incident was first reported in the Pakistan
media as Yawar had not told them anything about the issue.

"What is now confirmed is that they were atleast five
Indian nationals staying on the same floor as the players and
that two of them are said to have a history of being
associated with cricket betting," one source told PTI.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt
yesterday admitted that some Indians were sharing the same
floor with the Pakistan team but said the Indians were shifted
to another floor after the Pakistan team manager pointed it
out to hotel authorities.

"Our team manager drew the attention of the hotel
management to this (presence of Indians) and they shifted
those Indian nationals to another floor," Butt told the
National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports.

"Our team manager learnt of something that was not right
and immediately set the matter right and it is closed now,"
Butt maintained, refusing to comment on speculations that
there were possible bookmakers from Mumbai trying to lure
Pakistan cricketers.

The International Cricket Council made it clear it did
not want to comment on issues concerning its Anti Corruption
Unit but conceded the ACU was aware of the incident.

The source said the ACU security officer in India, Ravi
Sawami, is looking into the incident in Sri Lanka since ICC
regulation doesn't encourage players to mingle with strangers
on tours and during series. PTI Cor
AM
NNNN