PCB may take legal action against Rashid over allegations
By Our Sports Reporter
LAHORE, March 23: Pakistan cricket boss on Tuesday threatened legal action against former captain Rashid Latif and termed his match-fixing allegations as "unpatriotic and shameful".
Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket (PCB), Shaharyar M. Khan, said that Rashid's allegations were a slur on the Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq and he was considering appropriate action, he told reporters.
Rashid had alleged that the body language of the Pakistani players in Sunday's match showed that the game was fixed. India defeated the home team with consummate ease by five wickets to square the five-match series 2-2.
"Unless there is substantial evidence apart from the body language of the players, only then there can be a case. "As far as we are concerned we have no information whatsoever that our players were involved," the PCB chairman said.
But Shaharyar pointed out that if Rashid's charges proved to be correct it would be a "very serious matter". Doubts that the match might have been fixed were raised over the manner the Indian team cruised to victory after being 162 for five in the 24th over as they chased Pakistan's 293 for nine.
Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif put on 132 for the unbroken sixth-wicket stand with both scoring half centuries as the tourists got home with five overs to spare.
While Dravid had said at a post-match news conference there was no question of the matches being fixed, Inzamam told a television journalist to "shut up" when asked if everything had been set up.
Shaharyar had moved quickly on Monday in a bid to clarify the matter saying there was not even a shadow of doubt about the fairness of the match and dismissed a suggestion that the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) of the International Cricket Council (ICC) be asked to help clear doubts. "They are doing their job and are here not to face the public."
Meanwhile, Shaharyar met the Pakistan team who are said to be upset because of the allegations. He stayed with them for sometime trying to lift their spirits.
He also had a separate meeting with Inzamam and team manger Haroon Rasheed, reportedly on the same subject. Ramiz Raja, the PCB chief executive, had on Monday called for respecting the sanctity of the series. "The worst thing that we can do is to point fingers at the fairness of the match," he said, and added, "let's not dilute the sanctity of the series."
