NEW DELHI, Oct 15: Cricket superstars Sunil Gavaskar and Ian Botham have been roped in by Sharjah organisers to overlook the conduct of matches in the Gulf emirate, it was announced Monday.

Gavaskar of India, and Botham of England, have been inducted into a three-man technical committee of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS), which organises limited-overs tournaments in Sharjah.

The third member of the committee will be announced later, a media release from the organisers said.

The committee will supervise the playing conditions, including the preparation of wickets, and liase with umpires, officials and cricketers.

Sharjah, which has hosted more One-day Internationals (174) than any venue in the world, has in the past been tainted by unsubstantiated allegations of match-fixing.

Many teams, including England, world champions Australia and India, have shied away from playing in the desert venue in the last few years.

CBFS chief Abdur Rehman Bukhatir said he was delighted that both Gavaskar and Botham had accepted his offer.

“Their induction reaffirms our resolve to continue setting benchmarks in the world of cricket,” the release quoted Bukhatir as saying.

The next Sharjah tournament, featuring Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is scheduled to be played between Oct 26 and Nov 4.—AFP