ISLAMABAD, April 20: An inquiry into Pakistan's shock exit from the cricket World Cup has found no evidence that any players were involved in match-fixing, the head of the probe said Friday. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ordered the inquiry after the 1992 champions were dumped out of the competition, losing to minnows Ireland in the first round, sparking allegations that games could have been thrown.
“The inquiry has been completed and there is no evidence of match-fixing against any player,” inquiry committee chief Ijaz Butt told AFP. He said details of the committee's report would be submitted to PCB chief Nasim Ashraf next week.
The committee interviewed nearly 40 players, officials and retired PCB functionaries during its two-week hearing. Ijaz also rejected a claim by former PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, who said in March that parts of international cricket matches are fixed and the practice known as “spot-fixing” happens on a regular basis.
“There is no evidence of any targetted match-fixing and Shaharyar's statement was found to be incorrect,” Ijaz said.
The fixing allegations intensified in the wake of the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer hours after the defeat to Ireland.
Pakistan lost their opening match to the West Indies by 54 runs before a humiliating three-wicket defeat at the hands of debutants Ireland sent them crashing out of the World Cup on March 17.
Ijaz also criticised Pakistan media manager Pervez Mir for accusing the team of focusing on their devotion to Islam, instead of concentrating on the game. “It was a stupid statement from P.J. Mir,” Ijaz told reporters after the hearing in Islamabad.
“If a player wants to offer prayers in a mosque and wants to give some donation for a good cause, it does not mean his attention is diverted from cricket,” he said.
All-rounder Shahid Afridi, who made a statement before the committee Friday along with fellow player Umar Gul, told reporters after the hearing that the entire team was responsible for the poor showing in the World Cup. “We failed to perform,” he said. —AFP
