How the match-fixing drama unfolded - part 4

The International Cricket Council says it will investigate copies of tapes allegedly implicating former Pakistan captain Salim Malik in match fixing. The ICC move follows a report in the British Sunday newspaper News of the World which said Malik had claimed both his side and Australia had taken bribes to lose a game during Australia's 1994 tour. The ICC says it has asked its lawyers to contact the News of the World, accepting the offer to provide copies of tapes in its possession allegedly implicating Malik. When the tapes are made available to the ICC, they will be passed to the chairman of the Code of Conduct Commission Lord Griffiths pending the appointment of the anti corruption investigation.''

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif suspects that some of the past officials of the Pakistan Crcket Board are also involved in match fixing with Salim Malik. ``Six boards have come and gone in Pakistan since 1995 when I raised the alarm that certain Pakistani players were involved in match fixing but nothing has happened,'' Latif tells Gulf News in an interview, adding that it appeared that some of the officials were also being given a piece of the `pie'. ``I don't have to say any more. The main accused (Salim Malik) himself has been caught admitting that he had fixed matches if we go by the news from England. Malik has vindicated my allegations.'' According to Latif, despite his having provided sufficient proof to the PCB, it had taken no action on match fixing and claims that match fixing had continued during the last two years. ``I strongly believe that fixing matches has not stopped even today. I have been saying that four to five Pakistani players are involved and now Malik has also admitted that five players are actually on his pay roll.''

Bangladesh rejects claims by former Pakistan skipper Salim Malik that the upset victory of Bangladesh over Pakistan in last year's World Cup was a result of match fixing. ``We cannot accept his accusation because to us he is nobody,'' Saber Hossain Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board says in a newspaper interview. ``Had the Pakistan Cricket Board made the claim, we would have reacted. But I don't believe that the Bangaladesh team was involved in any match fixing.''

Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik protests against a life ban on him saying he has been made a scapegoat. ``Why me alone when others were let off with minor fines,'' asks Malik. ``I have been cleared by two inquiries before but this time I alone have been targetted,'' he tells a news agency from Lahore and adds that he plans legal action. ``Whether my cricket is finished or not I have to live a life and I have been subjected to such tortuous allegations for a long time now, it is unjust.''

Manoj Prabhakar, breaking his long silence, names Kapil Dev as the player who made the offer of Rs 25 lakh to him to under perform in a Singer Cup match in Sri Lanka in 1994. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi after the media were shown excerpts from an interview given by Prabhakar to a website, the former India all rounder also brings in a host of other names who according to him were in the know of things about what happened in Sri Lanka. He names his room mate at the time Navjot Sidhu, coach Ajit Wadekar, captain Md Azhaurddin as well as Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, both commentators for a TV network at that time as being persons who were informed about the incident. ``I not only told the captain and coach about the matter immediately but also Gavaskar and Shastri. But I was surprised that no one was taking the matter seriously for whatever reasons.'' He also says that it was this lukewarm response that had prevented him from reporting the incident before. ``I told the Board, I told the Chandrachud panel, but nobody listened. I was waiting for Kapil to confess but since he has not done that, it is my duty to expose him. Ask him to face me in the eye. I have made no mistake. I know what happened. Kapil knows and so does God.'' In dramatic manner, he goes on to put his hands on his heart and says that everything he said is true and he is willing to undergo a lie detecter test.

After a year long inquiry, Pakistan's one man judicial commission finds former skipper Salim Malik and medium pacer Ata Ur Rehman guilty of fixing matches and recommends a life ban on the two. ``Salim Malik is the main culprit. He has brought the Pakistan national team into disrepute,'' Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Lt Gen Taquir Zia tells reporters in Islamabad while releasing the findings of the Justice Malik Md Qayyum report on match fixing. The commission also recommends Rs 1 million (Pakistani) fine on Malik, Zia says adding the board will accept all the recommendations made by the panel. The commission says there are still many questions unanswered about the involvement of former skipper Wasim Akram and leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed but gives them the benefit of doubt. However it recommends a fine of Rs 300,000 on the two. Justice Qayyum also says that both Akram and Mushtaq should not be allowed to captain the squad in future. The commission also fines fast bowler Waqar Younis, Inzaman Ul Huq, Akram Raza and former captain Saeed Anwar for not co-operating with the commission but finds no evidence of their involvement in match fixing.

The Australian Cricket Board says the latest match fixing charges surrounding the South African tour of Australia in 1997-98 are for South Africa to deal with and not the ACB. ``I think Ashley Mallett's claims don't actually concern the Australian team,'' ACB spokesman Brian Murgatroyd says. ``It concerns the South Africans. We will review it and if there is anything we need to investigate, we will.''

The British tabloid `News of the World' which has claimed former Pakistan skipper Salim Malik had boasted to its undercover reporters that he could fix any match, has sent the tapes containing the conversation to the ICC. A spokesman for the newspaper tells a news agency that the `News of the World' had received a communication from the ICC to this effect and had sent the tapes to the world cricket body. The tapes will be made available to Lord Griffiths, chairman of the ICC's Code of Conduct Commission ahead of the appointment of the anti corruption investigation next month.

The managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa Ali Bacher is likely to be the first witness called by the South African inquiry into the Hansie Cronje affair, says the secretary of the judicial commission running the inquiry John Bacon in Cape Town.

Australian captain Steve Waugh calls for anyone making allegations about match fixing and bribery to provide concrete proof or keep quiet. Responding to claims made by former Australian spinner Ashley Mallett that the Test match played between South Africa and Australia in Sydney in 1998 may have been fixed by the South Africans, Waugh says ``I was quite astounded by these allegations but if Mallett has got evidence to suggest otherwise he should bring it forward. If not, he shouldn't be making those comments.'' Mallett, who was employed as an advisor to the South African squad during its 1997-98 tour of Australia had said he was suspicious about South African team selections and questioned the bowling tactics of the tourists during the match. He also said he voiced his concerns with South African cricket chief Ali Bacher. But Waugh refutes the claims saying ``If that was cricket that wasn't played at 100 percent, then I am a real bad judge.'' Waugh also scotches allegations attributed to former Pakistan captain Salim Malik that Australia and Pakistan both took bribes to lose a match in 1994. ``Salim said he was innocent of all charges a couple of years ago and if he is found guilty of recent charges, then I don't think his word is something you can hang on to. All I can say is that I am as certain as I can be that no Australian has ever been involved in match fixing or bribery. I have said it before and I will stick by it.''

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif asks cricket playing nations to emulate Pakistan's example of imposing life bans and fines for players involved in match fixing scandals. ``Pakistan has set an example for others and other countries must follow suit now,'' he says. ``The report vindicates my stance and I believe that the match fixing menace is not just confined to Pakistan alone.'' Latif is under a self imposed exile from international cricket after he alleged fellow players had been involved in match fixing. He also says he fears a backlash from the international cricket fraternity after the release of the inquiry report.

Former National Crime Authority member Greg Melick is appointed by the Australian Cricket Board as its special investigator into match fixing. He will have a wide ranging brief to investigate allegations of match fixing and corruption in Australian cricket, according to ACB chief executive Mal Speed. Melick's first job will be to examine a claim by disgraced former Pakistan captain Salim Malik that the Australian team was involved in match fixing during a game on the 1994-95 tour of Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Speed says the appointment completes the process of setting up a system to police the game in Australia.

The Australian Cricket Board expresses relief at the life ban handed down to former Pakistan captain Salim Malik. ACB chief executive Mal Speed says the report by judge Malik Qayyum had backed the board and senior Australian Test stars, Shane Warne and Mark Waugh. Allegations by Warne, Waugh and Tim May against Malik led to the judge's investigation. ``We are pleased for the Australian players, who made a complaint at an early stage, that their evidence has been taken into account,'' says Speed

Former Australian off spinner Tim May, one of three Test players who accused Pakistani batsman Salim Malik of offering him a bribe in 1994, says he gains no pleasure out of seeing Malik banned from cricket for life. While the decision vindicates the stance taken by May, Shane Warne and Mark Waugh following the 1994 Test series in the sub continnent, May says his overwhelming feeling upon hearing the news was one of sadness. He however says that he is happy to see the end of the long running saga, adding he never doubted his side of the story.

Manoj Prabhakar says that BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele had mentioned names of two more players saying they too were involved in fixing matches. ``When I met Lele in Baroda on May 6, he mentioned two more names saying they were also involved,'' says Prabhakar. He however refuses to give the names and says he wants Lele himself to come out with them. Lele however denies the claim. ``I never revealed any names when he came to meet me in Baroda and invited me for a product launch of his cosmetics company,'' Lele tells a news agency in Mumbai.

Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri confirms Prabhakar told him that Kapil Dev had allegedly offered him a bribe to under perform in Colombo in 1994 and says that he asked the player to immediately report it to the team mamnagement.

Kapil Dev expresses shock and anguish and describes Prabhakar's allegation as baseless and malicious and without any truth whatsoever. ``I am either being made the target of a deep rooted conspiracy or personal jealousy or animosity.''

Former South African coach Bob Woolmer says Ashley Mallett has been grossly unfair in casting doubts over the integrity of the South African team in his recent charges. ``We were beaten fair and square in that Test and the reason we lost was Shane Warne, not Symcox,'' says Woolmer in an apparent reference to Mallett highlighting off spinner Pat Symcox's defensive bowling tactics and former captain Hansie Cronje's field settings.

South Africa's inqury into the Hansie Cronje scandal will begin public hearings on June 7, John Bacon, secretary to the judicial commission which will run the inquiry says. He says that the date has been decided at a meeting bwtween the commission and the legal representatives in Cape Town.

Lord MacLaurin, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board calls upon the ICC to increase the penalties imposed on Pakistan players implicated in the match fixing scandal. ``I think the ICC has the authority to ask the parent board to look again at the fines or suspensions they are going to impose,'' he tells BBC radio. ``I don't like to say this but I think this may be the tip of the iceberg. I have a feeling a mafia type organisation could be involved with the players just pawns in this.''

Former BCCI president IS Bindra expresses the hope that the CBI would ensure that the truth emerged with help from those who knew anything about match fixing. In a statement in New Delhi, the Punjab Cricket Association president says he is convinced that he did the right think in revealing the name of Kapil Dev during a TV interview in answer to a specific question. ``It was my moral responsibility and public duty and I am glad that I had the courage of my conviction to do this.''

Sports promoter Mark Mascrehnas says match fixing takes place wherever cricketers play and a bookie ring exists. In the course of a TV interview, Mascrehnas, when asked about allegations of match fixing at off shore venues like Sharjah and Dhaka, says what has happened in India recently proved that match fixing was taking place everywhere. ``It happens wherever there are a group of cricketers and a bookie ring. It happens in England, it happens in Australia.'' Asked how many players were needed to fix a match, Mascrehnas says it would take at least three players to get involved in this kind of betting. He admits that the match fixing episode has adversely affected business in the game and says till this mess is cleared, the business is on hold.

BCCI president AC Muthiah leaves it to the CBI to probe Manoj Prabhakar's allegation against Kapil Dev. ``The matter is now with the CBI. Let them find out the whole truth,'' Muthiah says in an interview to a news agency in Paris, where he is part of an Indian business delegation.

Salim Malik says he will appeal to the country's military ruler in a bid to have his life ban for match fixing lifted. ``I have done nothing wrong and am targeted. I have been made a scapegoat. I will appeal to General Pervez Musharraf and President Md Rafiq Tarrar against the ban,'' Malik tells reporters at a press conference in Lahore. ``The life ban on me was due to baseless allegations of Australian players Shane Warne and Mark Waugh,'' he says. Malik says he has not yet been officially informed of the ban. ``Once I get that in writing, I will consult my lawyers and move the court.''

Mark Waugh says there is no comparison between his dealings with an Indian bookmaker and the match fixing tactics of Salim Malik describing them as ``chalk and cheese.'' Waugh's allegation that Malik offered him money to play badly in a one day international in Rawalpindi in October 1994 has been vindicated by the PCB decision to ban Malik for life and fine him. Waugh and Shane Warne, adamant they never took money to influence the result of a game, were fined last year for providing a bookmaker with pitch and weather information. ``Commonsense would say that talking about the weather and the pitch is a fair bit different to trying to fix a match, that's chalk and cheese,'' Waugh tells a Sydney radio station.

The match fixing drama takes a sensational turn with Manoj Prabhakar showing videotapes at a media conference in New Delhi to prove that match fixing exists in India. The secretly filmed 90 minute videotape shows players and administrators, apparently caught off guard, making revelations about match fixing. In the video tape the names of Kapil Dev, Md Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Ajay Sharma figure prominently among those allegedly involved in fixing matches. Prabhakar says he will hand over the complete recording to the CBI next week. The tape carries interviews with ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya, BCCI president AC Muthiah, BCCI secretary JY Lele, former BCCI president IS Bindra, former Indian team physio Ali Irani, Mumbai Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria, Income Tax Commissioner Vishwa Bandhu Gupta and Sports Authority of India secretary Amrit Mathur, besides former Test players Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Nayan Mongia and NS Sidhu. Speaking after the tape is shown, Prabhakar says ``I know I will be friendless in cricket circles after this. But I have not done all this because I am against any particular person. I owed it to the game.''

Md Azharuddin is named as the former Indian captain who declared Rs 16 crore under the Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS), assistant commissioner of Income Tax Viswa Bandhu Gupta alleges in the secretly recorded video tape presented by Manoj Prabhakar in New Delhi. Gupta had earlier said a recent former captain had deposited Rs 16 crore under VDIS but had not divulged the name according to the provisions of the scheme which safeguards against disclosure of the name. In the same recording, Mumbai Commissioner of Police (Railways) Rakesh Maria alleges that Azharuddin has contacts with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's gang members. ``Azhar has a criminal bent of mind,'' he alleges adding that the former captain is `very smart' and changes his mobile numbers quite frequently. He puts the total worth of Azhar at Rs 150-160 crore with four to five flats in Juhu, an expensive Mumbai suburb alone. Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri also says that Azharuddin has the protection of Dawood Ibrahim. In the same video tape BCCI secretary JY Lele names Azharuddin, along with Ajay jadeja and Kapil Dev as the players responsible for match fixing in Indian cricket.

Manoj Prabhakar, who has taken the lead in cleansing the game of betting, is himself involved in match fixing, says Outlook magazine. In the report, which appears in the magazine's June 5 issue, `Outlook' quotes a senior Mumbai police offer who confirms that ``Prabhakar is as guilty as - if not more guilty than - the people he is pointing fingers at.'' Investigations conducted by the magazine reveal that Prabhakar's name figures prominently in telephone conversations monitored by the Mumbai police and intercepts conducted by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in the early 90s.

Former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal is alleged to be the go between in match fixing by Salim Malik according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation who have obtained a copy of the tapes made by the News of the World. In the tapes, made by a News of the World undercover team, a man said to be Malik frequently mentions the name of Asif Iqbal, in one place saying ``After that, the bookies...the main one...obviously they will give some money to Asif Iqbal.'' Iqbal played 58 Test matches for Pakistan before becoming the director of cricket at Sharjah, which has been at the centre of allegations of match fixing.

Indian police say they have identified a string of bookmakers linked to the match fixing scandal. New Delhi Police Commissioner Ajay Raj Sharma says his detectives are collecting more evidence to buttress charges that Hansie Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom took money to fix matches in India. ``I cannot say we have been able to identify all the bookies involved in the case but we have definitely identified seven to eight prominent bookies,'' Sharma tells a news agency. The police charges relate to five one day internationals South Africa played in India between March 9 and 19. Sharma also rejects demands by the Indian Foreign Ministry for copies of the match fixing tapes. ``The police cannot give a copy of the tapes to any agency as it will have direct consequences on the case and moreover it is case property and will be submitted before the court,'' he says. He also says that South Africa will have to go through the proper legal process to seek copies of the damning tapes. The police chief asserts that crime branch detectives now hold enough material evidence against the accused persons. But he adds that they have to get some more evidence regarding the transaction of money in the case.

Indian Finance Ministry sources tell a news agency in New Delhi that they have speeded up efforts to locate the bank accounts of film actor Kishan Kumar and alleged bookie Rajesh Kalra in at least five countries. ``We have sent letters to these countries and have asked our embassies to follow up so that we can wrap up our case against these people,'' a source from the Ministry's Enforcement Directorate says, adding that officials are in touch with their counterparts in Britain, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa.

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar says ``there may be an odd rotten apple but others are clean'' and calls for a time bound and thorough probe into match fixing allegations, particularly in the case of current Indian players. ``There may be an odd rotten apple in the pack but others are clean and they deserve the cloud of suspicion be taken out over their heads,'' Gavaskar tells Star Sports in an interview in Dhaka. ``This kind of innuendo cannot continue. I certainly would like to see a time frame set for current players, probably before the next season starts in September. Inquiries regarding former players and administrators can take as long as the authorities want.''

Former Pakistan captain Rahid Latif says that Manoj Prabhakar who has raked up the match fixing issue, with his allegation against Kapil Dev, is himself ``not above board.'' In an interview to a website, Latif says: ``If Kapil did approach with him with an offer, it could be because he (Kapil) knew Prabhakar was himself into the racket. What I mean is if Prabhakar says Kapil approached him with a match fixing offer or that he knew other players are involved in it, then he must have also at some time been part of this racket. An outsider can never tell or know when a team is fixing a match.''

Indian police ask Interpol to speed up efforts to obtain voice samples of Hansie Cronje who is charged with match fixing in India. A top Delhi official, part of a team investigating the match fixing case, tells a news agency in New Delhi that two urgent reminders have been sent to the international police co-ordination agency to speed up efforts. ``Once we have all that, we will start thinking of extraditing Cronje and the others charged in the case,'' he says. The police also say that they have built an iron clad case against two arrested suspects, Delhi based bookie Rajesh Kalra and failed film actor Kishan Kumar on charges of match fixing. The official however says the crime branch will not pursue the match fixing allegations levelled against several leading Indian cricketers by former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar. ``The Indian cricketers are not part of our case. They are the responsibility of the CBI. Our case just involves the South Africans and bookmakers.''

South Africa's High Commissioner in India Maite Nkoana-Mashabane indicates in Calcutta that some members of the South African Commission of Inquiry probing match fixing allegations against Hansie Cronje are likely to visit India in connection with the investigation. ``Some members of the King Commission may visit India as and when the need arises,'' Mashabane tells reporters. Asked whether her country's government would send Cronje to India if requested by the CBI, Mashabane evades a direct reply saying ``we have not yet received such a request. She says that despite the match fixing scam, cricket has not lost its popularity in South Africa. ``Although football is the most popular game in our country, cricket still retains its charm.''

South African High Commissioner in India Maite Nkoana Mashabane is quoted in an Indian newspaper as saying that South Africa will allow Indian police detectives to question Hansie Cronje for his alleged role in match fixing. The paper quotes her as saying that Pretoria will give a green signal providec CBI made such a request, which has to be ``need based and issue based''.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan says the match fixing issue is still alive despite the release of the judicial commission report. ``Justice Malik Md Qayyum's report should have killed the issue but it is still open,'' Imran tells a news agency from Karachi. Imran says he cannot comprehend on what charges the players had been fined. ``I am confused for what reason the players have been fined. No one understands what they are fined for. If they were involved they should have beeb banned.'' he says. He adds the ICC should act swiftly. ``Until they get to the bottom of the matter it will never die,'' he says.

In India, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party demands a ``time bound thorough probe'' to clear the clouds of suspicion hanging over those alleged to have taken large sums of money for match fixing. The party's view, articulated by general secretary Venkaiah Naidu says that a life ban against the guilty on playing for the country would not suffice.

The Pakistan judicial inquiry into the match fixing allegations says there is a direct link between underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and several Pakistan players including Wasim Akram, reports the British media. The Justice Malik Md Qayyum report, released earlier in the month, carries details of a phone conversation between Akram, then skipper, and Dawood Ibrahim identified by intelligence sources as the kingpin behind a massive illegal betting syndicate during the England-Pakistan match in Sharjah last year. Former coach Javed Miandad who was called to depose before the panel on why he quit the job abruptly before the World Cup after guiding the team to victory in Sharjah said during Pakistan's second match against England, he got a call from someone - whom he did not want to name - who told him the game was fixed and that Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Azhar Mehmood, Salim Malik and Inzamam ul Haq had taken money to throw the match, the Mail on Sunday reports. Miandad told the inquiry that he was so angry he forced Akram to talk to the man immediately. Akram, in his evidence before Qayyum, admitted he did talk to someone called Dawood Ibrahim on the phone and was told the match was fixed. Miandad asked Akram to make the players take an oath on the holy Quran but Akram did not do so because it was not available at the ground, the paper reports quoting the Qayyum report.

Former South African spin bowler Pat Symcox hints that match fixing might have taken place under Hansie Cronje and that he (Cronje) was ``skating on thin ice.'' Symcox goes as far as to say ``you won't be surprised when one of these days Cronje's body will be floating down the the ocean tied to a pile of bricks because he was about to bring down a 32 million rand industry in cricket,'' he tells participants on the last day of the Mercury Million Golf Classic near Durban. In a candid admission on reported attempts to fix a one dayer in Mumbai following an offer from an Indian bookie, Symcox says ``I was one of the players who said we should take it but then we had Andrew Hudson who warned us we would be making a big mistake. The offer was then rejected. But on hindsight one wonders how much of this sort of thing has been going on,'' said Symcox. He adds he would be giving his full testimony to the Commission of inquiry under Judge Edwin King.

The Mercury newspaper in Durban reports that England captain Nasser Hussain may be summoned to testify before the King Commission to clear up ``a few loose ends'' surrounding the rain affected fifth Test between South Africa and England in January this year.

In India, the CBI approaches the Income Tax Department to furnish income and assets details of some cricketers and bookies allegedly involved in the match fixing controversy as per returns filed by them. IT Department sources says that the Department will fully co-ordinate with the CBI in the matter. SC Parija, director general of Investigations (Delhi) says they have identified and tagged the returns of some prominent players residing in Delhi. ``We are already in the information mode but we don't want to rush things. Once we have more specific information on the assets of these cricketers, we will get into the investigation mode,'' he says. Sources say that initial inquiries cover the records and returns of Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar. Besides the three players in Delhi, the IT returns of Md Azharuddin in Hyderabad as well as Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar in Mumbai have been dug out from the record rooms and kept aside. It is reported that the IT returns of ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya have also been similarly earmarked.

In India, the CBI says it is likely to examine former Indian team manager Ajit Wadekar and former opening batsman Navjot Sidhu once again in the wake of the deposition made by Manoj Prabhakar. The two may be called again and examined on the basis of the statement made by Prabhakar during his 90 minute deposition on May 24. Both Wadekar and Sidhu had been examined by the CBI last month in connection with the match fixing case and both reportedly denied the allegations of bribery made by Prabhakar against Kapil Dev. Sidhu has been named by Prabhakar as a witness to the offer allegedly made by Kapil Dev in a hotel room. Prabhakar and Sidhu were room mates during the tour.

According to newspaper reports, Hansie Cronje blames his behaviour on the devil. The Mail and Guardian say the devoutly religious Cronje resorted to biblical terms to explain his extraordinary behaviour in a confession that has been handed to the South African commission of inquiry into the match fixing scandal. ``In a moment of stupidity and weakness, I allowed Satan and the world to dictate terms to me. The moment I took my eyes of Jesus, my whole world turned dark'' the confession reads. Cronje wrote the confession to the Rev. Ray McCauley, the leader of South Africa's Rhema Church after allegations surfaced that he had been involved in match fixing.

In India, the Income Tax department says it is preparing a synopsis of the IT returns of cricketers and officials whose names have surfaced repeatedly during the match fixing investigations. IT departments in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Hyderabad continue to make assessments of income of prominent cricketers and officials. The CBI plans to also rope in the Enforcement Directorate to invesgtigate possible hawala transactions in the scandal.

Reports from India reveal that Manoj Prabhakar, whose sensational disclosures have shocked the cricketing world, has allegedly defrauded the public of crores of rupees collected through fake chit fund schemes. Evidence collected by the Nainital district police shows that Prabhakar is involved in a fraud of public money to the tune of Rs 50 crore, invested in his fake chit fund scheme by investors, says senior superintendent of police Akhilesh Mehrotra who is in charge of the cases.

In India, Manoj Prabhakar submits to the CBI video recording of what he says are interviews with many leading personalities in Indian cricket, politicians and certain others on the existence of match fixing and betting in the game. He hands over the recordings, running into eight to ten cassettes, to the investigating team headed by joint director RN Sawani. Prabhakar tells reporters that what he had shown to the media in Delhi last week was an edited version. The names of Kapil Dev, Md Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia and Ajay Sharma figure prominently among those allegely involved in the scam.

Manoj Prabhakar denies having any involvement in the alleged Rs 50 crore fraud by a UP based firm saying he is in no way connected with the company, least of all as a director. He tells reporters in New Delhi that attempts are being made to implead him in a false case. ``This is part of a malicious campaign against me,'' he says. He also presents documents and receipts from the department of company affairs of the Uttar Pradesh government in support of his stand. ``These documents prove my non involvement.'' he says.

Former Indian cricketer Ajay Sharma, currently playing in England terms as ``false'' all allegations about his involvement in the match fixing case and says he is ready to disclose all his assets. Speaking in a TV interview over telephone, he says he is not in a position to return to India now because of contractual obligations in England where he is playing league cricket.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram asks to be released from his commentating role with Channel 4 television during the series between England and West Indies this summer. The decision follows talks between Akram and the TV company following the disclosures in the Qayyum judicial inquiry. In a statement, Channel 4 say they had reviewed the findings of the commission which suggest that Akram must be closely watched and his bank accounts looked into.

The CBI begins examination of video tapes submitted by Manoj Prabhakar to the investigative agency. CBI sources say the 40 hour long video tapes were slow and it would take a day or two for the agency to complete the viewing. The tapes are then likely to be handed over to the legal cell of the agency to examine whether they can stand in the court of law. CBI sources also say that they plan to rope in the Enforcement Directorate to investigate possible hawala transactions in the scandal. The CBI is also initiating efforts to get in touch with former Test cricketer Ajay Sharma, presently in England playing league cricket. The agency will also shortly be examining others including former Indian captain Md Azharuddin, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri.

United Cricket Board of South Africa managing director Ali Bacher confirms that mobile phones have been banned from the South African team's dressing room. Bacher urges the move as part of an effort to assure the public that members of the South Africn team are above board. Hansie Cronje, sacked as South Africa captain after admitting taking money from bookmakers, allegedly communicated with bookies via a mobile phone given to him for that purpose.

Ajay Sharma, said to be a key figure in the match fixing scandal, denies the allegations in a newspaper interview in England. ``If I had all this money and owned these cars and had two or three flats in Delhi, as has been alleged, why would I stay away from my family for five months and play here,'' asks Sharma, who represents Padiham as a professional in the East Lancs league. ``I just forget about it and try and play my best for Padiham. I have to fulfill my commitments. When I have finished my contract here, I will go back to India where I will talk to my lawyer and take some legal action against India Today (the magazine which made the allegations). The allegations are not true. I am ready to disclose my assets.''

Former Australian Test batsman Dean Jones says he fears for his life if he identifies the Indian player who introduced him to a bookmaker. Jones says the only way he would name the player is if is subpoenaed to do so. But he says if the player was named, it would come as no surprise. ``I am a bit worried about if he has got mafia connections,'' Jones says in Hobart. He had earlier said he was offered 50,000 US dollars in Sri Lanka in 1992 after he was phoned by an Indian player. He says the player phoned him at the hotel where the team was staying and asked him to meet his friend. Jones says he agreed, believing it was for something like a clothing endorsement. He says the player introduced him to an Indian named John and said he was a bookmaker. Jones says the man then offered him the money and a phone to give forecasting. ``I listened to what he had to say, then I said no,'' says Jones, who told the Australian Cricket Board management and players. Nothing was done, says Jones. ``All the players thought that it was a bit funny. It is not funny now,'' he says. Jones says he is worried about his safety, his family's safety and that of his business clients whom he sends to India.

Former South African coach Bob Woolmer is added to a list of 43 witnesses who will testify at the King Commission into cricket corruption in South Africa. Woolmer, who is in South Africa to promote his autobiography, says he is keen to testify particularly about an offer to the South African team to throw a match in Mumbai in December 1996. The enquiry is scheduled to commence on June 7.

King Commission secretary John Bacon says that he has issued 42 subpoenas. He says Bob Woolmer was not among the witnesses originally scheduled to appear because he is based in England where he is coaching the Warwickshire team. ``We were not planning to call witnesses from overseas until we had assessed whether this was necessary based on the testimony from locallly based witnesses. Now that Woolmer is in Cape Town and has volunteered to appear he will be the 43rd person to be subpoenaed.'' Bacon says it is possible that both Nasser Hussain and Andy Flower, the captains of England and Zimbabwe in a trianguler limited over series in South Africa earlier this year, could be called.

UCBSA managing director Ali Bacher says he will reveal the sources for his claim last month that match fixing had been a fact in international cricket in recent years and had taken place during the 1999 World Cup in Englad during his testimony before the King Commission. All witnesses will submit written statements which will be made public. Leading officials of the UCBSA will only testify in the second week of the inquiry. Judge King says he will release an interim report by June 30 when the South African team are scheduled to depart on a tour of Sri Lanka. The inquiry is to cover the period between November 1 last year and April 17 and the 1996 tour of India.

Bob Woolmer backs fired team team captain Hansie Cronje saying he should be allowed to play international cricket despite having admitted to accepting money from bookmakers for match information. ``Mark Waugh and Shane Warne were convicted of the same offence by the Australian Cricket Board and given a monetary fine,'' Woolmer says. ``If Hansie has done the same as them, why should we be any different,'' he asks as he flies into Cape Town to offer assistance to the King Commission of inquiry. Woolmer says that while he belives Cronje, he still thinks the commission should get to the bottom of the allegations against him and decide on an appropriate punishment. Woolmer also says that he knew the South African team had been offered $250,000 to throw a benefit match in India in 1996 - which they had declined. Woolmer says that is the only such instance that he personally knows of but concedes that match fixing and betting were rife in the game, especially in India and Pakistan.

In India, Commissioner of Police (Railways) Rakesh Maria says he is contemplating filing a defamation suit against Manoj Prabhakar who used a hidden camera to record conversations on match fixing. ``I am seeking legal advice in the matter,'' Maria tells an Indian newspaper in Mumbai. Prabhakar had recorded conversations with Maria as part of his evidence against Kapil Dev. Maria had in the discussion named an Indian cricketer as having links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his henchmen.

Manoj Prabhakar also comes under fire from Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa who criticises the former Indian all rounder for secretly video taping him to substantiate his charges against other Indian cricketers. ``What he has done is unethical and a breach of privacy,'' Dhindsa says after a sports awards ceremony in New Delhi.

Kapil Dev's counsel VN Koura says in New Delhi that his client will file a Rs 10 crore defamation suit against former BCCI president IS Bindra and CNN for causing damage to his reputation. The amount of damages to be claimed against Manoj Prabhakar and Tehelka.com is being assessed. ``Bindra's interview, broadcast by CNN, has caused real damage to Kapil's reputation and we are planning to file a suit for Rs 10 crore against them in July as all four respondents have failed to reply to the legal notices sent to them,'' Koura says.

A spokesman for the King Commission of inquiry in South Africa says that a Delhi police officer Inspector Ishwar Singh Redu, involved with the Hansie Cronje investigation, is expected to attend the proceedings of the commission.

Match fixing case accused Rajesh Kalra is granted bail by a Delhi court as police fail to file the charge sheet against him within 60 days. However, he is unlikely to be released from Tihar jail until granted bail in a four lakh Foreign Exchange Regulation Act violation case relating to the scandal. Kalra is asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 5 lakhs and two sureties.

The CBI zeroes in on 100 odd bookies of the country who are suspected to be closely associated with cricketers alleged to be involved in match fixing and betting. The CBI identifies the bookies during its first month of investigation.

Madhya Pradesh police register a case of cheating and fraud against Manoj Prabhakar and two others for allegedly swindling public money through the UP based Apace India Group of Companies in his capacity as a director. The UP police had registered a similar case against Prabhakar last week. The additional superindendent of police (Indore) Bhagwant Singh Chauhan says the case has been registered following a complaint that the three had fled with the people's money deposited in the company. The complaint, filed by two former employees of the company, claim they had deposited Rs 50,000 each with the Indore branch and even collected money from the public. Chauhan says police had seized all records of the company and found a photo album and a banner mentioning Prabhakar as one of its directors.