Karachi, February 27: With reports of wicket keeper Kamran Akmal’s involvement in match fixing already making Pakistani media abuzz, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt dropped another bombshell, saying that at least two national players are suspected of match fixing.
It would be “foolish to say that no match-fixing takes place,” Butt said, talking to media persons during a press conference.
The Daily Times quoted Butt, as saying,” The fact is it is very difficult to prove this. So I am not going to take any names right now. We are waiting for a report from an inquiry committee we have set up to probe into the team’s poor performances in Australia.”
None of the players from the current squad was involved in match-fixing, a confused Butt later clarified.
Butt said,” The two players are not on the cricket board’s current list of available players or the national team.”
Butt explained,” I was telling them of the procedure the ICC has evolved about how such cases work. I was telling them that proving match-fixing charges and allegations can be very difficult. One of our friends in Islamabad made allegations against Younis Khan without any proof and look how that has destroyed his career almost.”
In 2000, former Pakistan captain Salim Malik and medium pacer Ata-ur Rehman were found guilty of match-fixing by Justice Malik Qayyum. They were both banned for life following a year long investigation into the allegations.
——Agencies