Younis, Umar appear before ACSU

Published April 8, 2008

LAHORE, April 7: Pakistan’s star batsman Younis Khan and fast bowler Umar Gul were on Monday called in by a two-man ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) panel to probe the match-fixing charges levelled by Shoaib Akhtar following the imposition of a five-year ban on him by the PCB.

Reliable sources close to the PCB and the Pakistan team, staying at a local hotel here for the Bangladesh one-day series, said the two players were summoned to an unknown place on a short notice to face the panel comprising Col (retd) Mohammad Nur, the ACSU’s representative in Pakistan, and another ICC official.

The ICC official reportedly came from Dubai on Monday morning to investigate Shoaib’s statement regarding offers made to him to under-perform in key matches on the South Africa and India tours in the last few years.

The sources added both Younis and Umar looked extremely disturbed after their return from the ACSU grilling session, blaming the board for not informing them beforehand of any such exercise.

It is being feared that since the match-fixing row has been re-ignited by Shoaib’s recent statement, more Pakistan players will be asked to give their views by the ACSU officials who are likely to stay here for several days before finalising their findings.