Pakistan team under ICC’s microscope

Officials say squad being closely monitored with phone records being kept, cricketers confine their contacts.

KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) is keeping a close eye on the Pakistan team in the UAE following the spate of allegations that rocked Pakistan cricket in the last few months.

According to officials, the squad is being closely monitored with phone records being kept which have caused cricketers to confine their contacts to their family members to avoid any potential problems.

However, team manager Intikhab Alam has said that phones were not being tapped but added that the team had been thoroughly advised regarding who they should talk to. A representative of the ACSU had delivered a lecture to the players before the start of the series with South Africa and the players were made to sign a code of conduct.

Alam also claimed that laptops and mobile phones were prohibited on the day of a match but these restrictions are not being imposed in the hotel or outside the stadium. Simcards issued to Pakistan players have been provided by the Pakistan Cricket Board, whose details have been given to the ICC, according to Alam. But despite the increased scrutiny by the ICC, the team manager insisted that the governing body’s rules were equal for everybody and not Pakistan-specific.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2010.