Five accused to appear before Madhavan on Sunday

The five Indian players charged in the Central Bureau of Investigation's match-fixing report will be interrogated by former CBI Joint Director K Madhavan in Chennai on Sunday, reported AFP. The five, Mohd. Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and Nayan Mongia, are under a 15 day suspension from November 3, pending a final decision on their future in the game which is expected by the end of the month.

Madhavan has been entrusted by the BCCI with holding separate briefings with each of the five players as well as physio Ali Irani and seeking their responses to the charges detailed against them. His findings will be submitted to the Board's Disciplinary Committee which in turn will discuss them at a Working Committee or Special General Body Meeting.

Earlier on Thursday, the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), AC Muthiah, said that the Board was planning to make a public response to the 'inaccuracies' pertaining to its functioning in the CBI's report on match-fixing. "The BCCI has been in existence for over 70 years as an autonomous body and its reputation has never been sullied", declared a media release issued in Chennai in the name of the Board President.

The statement claimed that the Board had instituted a Code of Conduct for players, umpires and officials alike, containing 'stringent provisions such as a life ban', even as the CBI kicked off its investigations, and appointed Mr. Madhavan to make a detailed study of the matter and report his conclusions.

"In view of such purposeful initiatives by the Board, the references made in the CBI report about the Board's functioning would seem unjustified", complained Muthiah. He concluded by stating that "the Working Committee or Special General Body will discuss the implications of all such observations and circulate its response to the Members of Parliament and also to the public." Muthiah also suggested that the Board would take a final decision on the five cricketers named in the CBI report "possibly before November 30th."

Meanwhile AFP reports that the Emirates Cricket Board has thrown its weight behind the efforts to expose the culprits in the match-fixing saga. "If any individuals are involved in any unsavoury associations it is entirely at their own initiative and responsibility. The guilty must not be protected, whatever the cost or wherever they reside", the Board said. "We do, however, believe that it becomes incumbent upon all of us, whether officials, players or organisers to create a cohesive defence against those who would dishonour this game for their own ends", added the statement.

In another development, Aussie coach John Buchanan gave a public sign of confidence in the beleaguered Mark Waugh. "From our point of view, Mark's done everything he possibly can and I believe he's totally innocent until proven otherwise. Everybody should adopt that attitude at this stage and he should be allowed to go on and play his cricket the best way he possibly can", Buchanan told AFP.

He suggested that the allegations, if left unsubstantiated, were bound to undermine the morale of the players concerned and called for a quick culmination to the investigations. "Myself and a lot of other people have talked with Mark, but it almost doesn't matter how many words you say it's still the individual who has to wake every morning faced with more conjecture," said Buchanan. "All the inquiries around the world need to come to some sort of finality - it doesn't mean that they stop investigating but just that they do it in a less public way," he added.