03 October 2004	Sunday	17 Shaban 1425

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 2: The availability of Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje for questioning by Indian police investigating match-fixing is assured, but United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) obviously first needs to receive official request from Indian authorities for this to occur.

This was disclosed by Gerald de Kock, UCB's media manager, who had to field numerous inquiries over last week as to whether South Africa will still tour India next month given uncertainty over Gibbs and Boje.

They were both named in Indian match-fixing investigation that exposed Hansie Cronje after South Africa's 2000 tour, but De Kock stressed there had been no word from Indian police.

"At this stage tour is proceeding as scheduled, and any news to the contrary is pure speculation," he said. "We've heard nothing official at all that Indian police even want to interview Herschelle and Nicky.

"If they would like to question them, they must just let us know so that we can make necessary arrangements, such as legal representation and setting up a time for them to be interviewed, in the hotel or wherever most practical."

He said: "we are not worried about them being arrested as they land in India; there's no chance of that."-Agencies