LAHORE, Feb 26 Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt kept a large media contingent guessing here on Friday when he dropped a bombshell by disclosing that two current Pakistani players are involved in match-fixing according to the ICC's investigation, only to change his statement later by saying that the suspected two could be former players.

“The ICC has conveyed the names of two persons to the PCB who are involved in match-fixing and has given concrete evidence on one of the two,” said Ijaz while addressing a hurriedly called press conference organized to announce the names of 30 probables for the upcoming World T20, to be held in the West Indies.

While the revelation stunned the media personnel present on the occasion, the PCB chairman refused to divulge anymore details about the suspected players despite a barrage of questions hurled at him on the subject.

The PCB chief's statement clearly hinted that the two suspected players could be part of the current national outfit which flopped miserably in Australia recently. “But this is a totally confidential matter and I just cannot disclose the names of the players or any other relative information on the subject,” said Ijaz.

He further said that if the PCB probe committee, which is assessing the performance of the national team on the Australian tour under Wasim Bari, would make any recommendations against any player, he will not be part of the final 15-member squad for the mega event.

When asked why the suspected players weren't being named when the ICC had provided concrete proofs against them, Ijaz said that action had already been taken against them and he was informed by the ICC about it.

“Like in Shahid Afridi's case of biting the ball, the match referee has already penalised him and we can't give two punishments to a player in one crime. So the PCB will not take any further action against the match-fixing suspects,” he said.

Towards the end of the press conference, however, Ijaz, who by then looked visibly perturbed by the volley of questions directed at him, took a complete somersault to say that the suspected players donot necessarily belong to the current team and could well be former players who represented Pakistan in the past decade.

His contrasting statements left many questioning the PCB chief's wisdom in triggering a huge controversy at a time when Pakistan cricket is already reeling under many controversies and is at its lowest ebb insofar on-field performances are concerned.

Inside sources said that PCB chairman, who earlier chaired a selection committee meeting on Friday to finalize the 30 probables for the T20 World Cup, surprisingly did not inform any of the selectors about the ICC's investigation report on match-fixing duo. In the meeting, some members of the selection committee showed reservations over the inclusion of under-performing wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal and struggling all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, they later agreed to include both in the list of probables.

This is the first ever time that a key official of the PCB has made such sensational disclosure in public. Though there has been lot of hue and cry over the match-fixing issue in the past decade, no official has come forward to speak on this matter officially due to lack of evidence.

In the past, the Pakistan cricket had also been defamed over similar allegations which resulted in a life ban on former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik and fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman in 2001 on the recommendation of one-man judicial commission of Justice (retd.) Malik Qayyum.

Agencies add PCB chairman Ijaz Butt stirred a hornet's nest when he told a crowded press conference that at least two players were suspected of being involved in match-fixing.

”We are waiting for a report from the inquiry committee we have set up to probe into the team's poor performances in Australia,” he said. “Once the inquiry committee gives it report, I will comment further on this issue.”

However, Ijaz later changed his stance to claim that he had basically spoken with reference to some old cases of match-fixing and the two suspected players were not part of the current team. “I was not talking about current players at all, people have misunderstood me and misquoted me,” he said.

PCB general-manager (media) Nadeem Sarwar then sprang into a damage control exercise, claiming that press had misinterpreted the whole affair.

“The Chairman was asked a question on the issue of match-fixing and he spoke with relation to old cases and said that the ICC had, at one time, conveyed to the PCB the names of two players who were suspected of being involved in match fixing,” Sarwar said. “He was speaking in the context of old cases and not about any current player,” he claimed. “It is entirely wrong to interpret that Ijaz Butt has said that two current players were involved in match fixing,” Sarwar said.

“The inquiry committee is looking at the team's performances and cases of discipline. Match-fixing is not its domain,” the PCB official said.