PCB chief says Pakistan may not submit matchfixing report

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says it will not submit its report into allegations of matchfixing at the 1999 World Cup unless other countries hand over the results of their investigations to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"Pakistan will not submit the inquiry on two World Cup matches until and unless other countries complete their inquiries and submit their reports," PCB chairman Tauqir Zia told Reuters on Sunday.

Zia told the ICC last week that Pakistan would conduct fresh investigations into allegations that the country's matches against India and Bangladesh had been thrown.

"The World Cup will be investigated because we want to maintain the lead in the matchfixing inquiry and the subsequent imposing of penalties," Zia said.

Pakistan have already imposed life bans on Salim Malik and Ataur Rehman while censuring and fining six other players, including former captains Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar.

Zia said he met ICC anti-corruption chief Sir Paul Condon in Melbourne last week.

"I told the ICC anti-corruption unit chief in a straightforward manner that Pakistan alone cannot be targeted in matchfixing.

"Why has England not initiated an inquiry following Chris Lewis's charges against his fellow players? And if they have done an inquiry where is the report?" he asked.

Last year Lewis was interviewed by the England and Wales Cricket Board after saying he had been told members of the England team had been involved in matchfixing. No further action was taken.

Meanwhile, the South African inquiry being conducted by Justice Edwin King against disgraced former captain Hansie Cronje has been delayed and the report is yet to be made public.

"I told Mr Condon that there should be an inquiry against South African Ali Bacher who has been levelling all sorts of allegations against Pakistan," he said.

Bacher, the former managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, told the King Commission last year that Pakistan threw the matches against India and Bangladesh and claimed the retired test umpire Javed Akhtar was involved with bookmakers.

Bacher now heads South Africa's 2003 World Cup committee.

"If somebody comes up and alleges Pakistan's World Cup matches were fixed, I can also say that South Africa and Zimbabwe played a fixed match in the same tournament," Zia said.

He said he had advised Condon to limit his inquiry to matches in recent years.

"If he keeps going in the past, there would be more mud-slinging, more confusion and no result. If cricket has to be cleaned, I don't think that is the right approach," he said.

Mail Cricket Editor