March 9, 2002	Saturday	Zilhaj 24, 1422

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LAHORE, March 8: Justice Karamat Bhandari Commission report carries nothing surprising as the Lahore High Court judge has found no evidence of match-fixing in the 1999 World Cup.

The judge has also cleared retired Test umpire Javed Akhtar who was accused by South African Dr Ali Bacher of being on the pay roll of the bookies.

The commission was set up last year to investigate allegations that Pakistan threw matches to Bangladesh and India.

The mandate also included probe of Javed Akhtar after fingers were pointed at him following his nine leg before decisions – eight against South Africa — in the Leeds Test in 1998.

An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added that final clearance from the patron President General Pervez Musharraf was awaited before the document is made public.

The report, which the PCB is morally bound to submit to the ICC in the annual meeting in June, is unlikely to be publicized until next month.

“The report was sent to us by the President”s secretariat for our recommendations. We have returned it with our remarks,” the official said.

“We have gone through the report that exonerates all the World Cup players and Javed Akhtar for the lack of evidence.”