Bacher lifts the lid

In an extraordinary morning's testimony, United Cricket Board managing director Ali Bacher told the King commission that the World Cup matches between India and Pakistan and Pakistan and Bangladesh had been fixed, alleged that Pakistan umpire Javed Akhtar had been in the pay of a Karachi bookmaker around the time of South Africa's fifth Test against England in 1998 and suggested that a young man claiming to be the world's fastest bowler had inadvertently spilled the beans on match-fixing to the UCB's biggest sponsor.

Speaking on the fourth day of the hearings, Bacher named his sources as former Pakistan Cricket Board CEO Majid Khan, former PCB president Javed Burke and an Indian bookmaker, known as "Mr R", whom he did not wish to name for fear of his safety.

Bacher said that at lunch during Wimbledon last year, after the 1999 World Cup, Majid told him two World Cup matches had been fixed. "Which two?" asked Bacher. "The India-Pakistan match and the Pakistan-Bangladesh match," replied Majid. Bacher said Majid did not explain which teams had fixed the matches.

Bacher told the hearings that he had not made these allegations public at the time or taken them to the ICC because he believed Justice Qayyum would address them during his inquiry in Pakistan.

Regarding the allegations against Javed Akhtar, Bacher said he had first met the Indian bookmaker called Mr R during the 1995/96 England tour of South Africa. He had introduced Mr R to Jack Bannister and gradually come to respect Mr R's knowledge of cricket.

During the 1998 fifth Test against England at Headingley, Bacher said 10 LBW decisions had been made during the match of which nine had been given by Akhtar, eight had been given against South Africa, and seven were dubious.

Bacher said he phoned Mr R during then match to ask whether the umpire could have been bought. Mr R's answer was "possibly", but early this year, when Bacher was in Mumbai for South Africa's first Test against India, Mr R asked him to dinner.

During the meal Mr R reminded Bacher of his phone call, and then said: "The umpire was on the payroll." He added that one of Karachi's biggest bookmakers had left Karachi for Leeds a few days prior to the Test to ensure that his "client" complied.

Bacher also said that Javed Burki had told him during 1999 that match-fixing involving the Pakistan team had taken place and that some Pakistan players were involved in the practice.

In the most bizarre piece of evidence submitted, Bacher handed in a letter from Jacques Sellschop, Group executive, corporate relations for cellphone company MTN, one of UCB's biggest sponsors.

Sellschop said in his letter that on flight SA 523 from Johannesburg to Durban on April 18 this year he had sat next to "an attractive man of dark complexion, with a slightly foreign accent. He had fairly long, straight black hair which hung down over his forehead." He was seated in business class seat 4A.

Sellschop said that the young man had told him he was an opening bowler for Pakistan and that he held the world record for the fastest delivery ahead of Australia's Brett Lee.

According to the letter, the young man had been flown to South Africa for physiotherapy for a problem with his bowling arm. He was to return to the West Indies following the treatment to rejoin Pakistan.

The young man said match-fixing was a common practice worldwide. He spoke of so many matches being rigged that Sellschop could not recall all of them, but made particular reference to a match last year which Pakistan lost to Bangladesh for $1-million.

According the young man, Cronje was "so stupid to deal directly". He said that in Pakistan's case, the captain did the deal and the fee was generally $1-million. This was the same fee commanded by South Africa.

Cricket boards, including those of Pakistan and Australia were aware of what was going on, said the young man.

At the end of the flight, the man said he expected to be met by a member of the SA Cricket Board. He was met, according to Sellschop, by a black man wearing a tie and sports jacket.

Later, according to Bacher's evidence, pictures of Shoaib Akhtar were e-mailed to Sellschop by the UCB. "Unless the world's fastest bowler has a genetic double, I am certain it was he,"wrote Sellschop.

Investigations with SA Airways reveal that seat 4A in SA 523 on April 18 was occupired by a Mr AR Mayet. Immigration authorities reveal that no Shoaib Akhtar entered South Africa during that time.

Shoaib Akhtar, however, did not play for Pakistan in the Test match of April 13-17.