Sports

Match-fixing, mud-slinging no more

Board mulling rule to end cricketers throwing allegations at each other

Our Correspondent October 14, 2016

Following the Afridi-Miandad squabble, PCB intends to impose a law that will force players to prove their match-fixing allegations against others. PHOTO: File

KARACHI: The ugly tiff between Shahid Afridi and Javed Miandad seems to be heading towards a resolution, but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unhappy over the entire episode and may take measures to stop former cricketers from levelling match-fixing allegations against each other to settle ‘personal scores’.

The governing body had maintained its silence in the altercation that saw Afridi branding Miandad a money-grubber before the latter accused the former of match-fixing, following which Afridi threatened to go to court to clear his name.

Wasim contacts Afridi, urges him to solve issues with Miandad

“Miandad is not a part of the PCB, while Afridi is in the twilight of his career. So, unlike the Abdul Razzaq-Mohammad Hafeez spat of 2012 when the board played the mediator, we can do very little to patch things up between these two,” a PCB official told The Express Tribune. “However, as the game’s governing body in the country, the board may come up with a plan to stop cricketers accusing each other of match-fixing to settle personal scores. Such accusations are detrimental to country’s cricket and need to be rooted out once and for all.”

The official continued: “After considering its pros and cons with our legal team, we will enforce a rule that will bind players to prove their allegation or face action.”

Miandad, Afridi close to a patch-up

Afridi was supposed to serve a legal notice to Miandad yesterday but he scrapped his plan after getting assurances that his former coach will withdraw his match-fixing allegations.

Various cricketing greats, including Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, had earlier called for an end to the altercation and pushed the two parties to amicably settle their differences. Miandad, who said he forgave Afridi for his ‘money-grubber’ remarks, has assured that he will unsay his match-fixing allegations.

Afridi-Miandad tiff: ‘Forgive and forget for Pakistan’s sake’

“Miandad has assured Afridi that he will retract his match-fixing allegation on some platform,” said a source close to the case. “Only after that, Afridi abandoned his planned legal battle against the great batsman.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2016.

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