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| November 25, 2003 | Tuesday | Ramazan 29, 1424 |
Indian board calls meeting over bribery allegations
NEW DELHI, Nov 24: The Indian cricket board will meet next Sunday to discuss allegations a domestic player tried to bribe two national selectors.
Pranab Roy and Kiran More, both former Test players, lodged complaints with the board that Maharashtra batsman Abhijit Kale offered them money to secure selection to India’s senior team.
Kale, 30, who denied any wrongdoing, has been suspended from all cricket until an investigation, to be conducted by the country’s bar council chairman D.V. Subba Rao, is completed.
But Kale has won support from players who have protested against his suspension.
“The Indian Cricket Players’ Association (ICPA) feels that the player deserves a fair hearing,” Arun Lal, former Test opener and secretary of the ICPA, said in a statement.
“There should be no question of suspension before the inquiry is completed.”
The Indian media has, meanwhile, reported allegations from across the country by other domestic players, who allege local selectors have often demanded bribes from them.
Meanwhile, India’s cricket chiefs closed ranks on Monday after Abhijit Kale, the player at the centre of a cash-to-play scandal, received support from former greats like Kapil Dev.
Kapil, a former world bowling record holder, questioned the decision to ban Kale from first-class cricket until the probe was completed, saying he doubted a BCCI official would have been punished in similar circumstances.
“I feel for the young man,” said Kapil, who himself had faced the wrath of officials, public and the media before he was cleared of any wrongdoing in a match-fixing scandal in 2000.—Agencies
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