Pakistan’s preparations for the World Cup were further jolted when Mazhar Majeed, the alleged bookmaker at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations, revealed names of four more players involved with him.
Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Imran Farhat were named in a secretly-filmed video aired by a Geo News channel last night.
The video comprised Majeed boasting of connections with the four cricketers. This was after an earlier video, released by the News of The World, forced the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif with Scotland Yard calling the trio in for questioning.
Kamran was overlooked for Pakistan’s recently-concluded series in the UAE and has, together with Farhat, been omitted from the Twenty20 and Test squad for New Zealand that was announced yesterday. Umar and Riaz, however, have been included by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Majeed, after naming the four, denied having any links with Shahid Afridi, Younus Khan, Abdul Razzaq and a ‘religious’ Saeed Ajmal in the video.
The PCB has been under immense pressure from the ICC to set its house in order following the earlier allegations. A special ‘task team’ was handed the job of cleaning up Pakistani cricket; to devise and implement anti-corruption measures. They were to also have a new code of conduct to be signed by all players.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2010.
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