“I hope the allegations are not true but if they are then it’s a great setback for the International Cricket Council (ICC) that has put a lot of effort to curb the sport of the menace,” Mani, who served as the ICC’s president from 2003 to 2006, told The Express Tribune. “The ICC is spending millions on its Anti Corruption Unit but it hasn’t found any solution to control it which is a disaster for the game.
Mani said since the issue was still under investigation, saying anything more on it would be premature but at the same time warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to pamper its players.
“We were already suffering from a lot of problems and the new scandal will add more problems to our cricket. The PCB should be very careful, there might be some players involved and the board should not pamper the players by defending them blindly in the case.”
The former ICC chief took a swipe at the team management as well, saying it had failed to keep tabs on players’ activities while on tour.
“The team management failed to put check on players. Had they performed their job well, an incident like this could’ve been avoided.”
High-level investigation sought
Former Supreme Court Judge Fakhruddin Ebrahim has asked for a high-level investigation to take place in the alleged match-fixing scam.
“It is embarrassing for the whole nation and I am stunned with the revelation,” said Ebrahim, who probed match-fixing allegations levelled on Salim Malik by the Australian players in 1995. The former judge also suggested forming a panel to probe the investigation. “A high-level three member panel should be formed to ensure clean investigation of the matter.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2010.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ