Lahore, August 12: Former chief selector Abdul Qadir has backed down from his earlier comments that some Pakistani players could have contact with the Indian bookmakers during the Test series against Sri Lanka last month. ”I never took any names,” Qadir told ‘Geo Super channel’.
”I only voiced my suspicions like others were doing that the cricket board needed to hold a thorough inquiry into the reports that players might have had contacts with Indian bookmakers in Colombo.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced that its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) found nothing against Pakistan players after reports that bookmakers tried to contact them in a team hotel in Colombo.
Qadir also insisted that he stood by his earlier demand that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) must hold an independent inquiry into the matter.
”I have always said that our players flop when under pressure and when they are required the most to perform. This is a problem the board must look into,” he said. ”I had told the chairman when I was chief selector that any player no matter who senior he is, if he is not performing he must go,” Qadir added.
—–Agencies