CBI not to question Mark Waugh on match-fixing charges

The CBI said today it would not interrogate Australian batsman Mark Waugh, during his stay in India for the Australian cricket tour of India.

CBI sources said they were not going to question Waugh as the agency sleuths had not gone into the alleged role of foreign players and their nexus with bookies.

Waugh was among nine foreign players named by the CBI in its 162-page report on betting and match-fixing in cricket.

They said the Government had only asked the CBI to probe the role of Indian players, which was done and that the agency had not gone in depth on the role of foreign players.

The CBI in its report, which was submitted to Union Sports Ministry on October 30 last year, had alleged bookie Mukesh Gupta had paid 20,000 US dollars to Waugh to provide "information" about pitch, weather, team strategy and morale.

During his interrogation by the CBI, Gupta had claimed that Mark Waugh was introduced to him by former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar during a six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong.

Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed said in Melbourne today that the Department of Foreign Affairs believed it was unlikely Waugh would be sought for an interview by Indian police but the department was available to help if needed.

Waugh has refuted Gupta's allegations that he took money in return for team, pitch and weather information when he was interviewed by ACB anti-corruption investigator Greg Melick at the weekend.