How the match-fixing drama unfolded - Part 7

Hansie Cronje believes he is guilty of the same offence that led to fines to Australian Test cricketers Mark Waugh and Shane Warne in 1995. He tells Channel Nine's Sixty Minutes programme in Sydney that the Australians had made exactly the same mistake. ``They basically confessed to taking money from bookmakers and supplying information,'' says Cronje. ``And it's exactly what I did in a lot of my dealings and it is wrong.'' Asked if he sympathised with the two Australians, Cronje says ``I do and I think they they will have a bit of sympathy for me.'' He says he has been punished enough for his illegal dealings and that the toughest task would be to forgive himself. ``I believe I have been punished a lot over the last three months because I lost my job, I have to start all over again and a lot of damage has been caused,'' he says. ``But I think that one of the hardest things for me is to forgive myself what I did. I honestly struggled to eat and sleep. I knew I had lied to my family, my friends, my wife and my teammates. I could not find a building high enough to jump from but I really felt bad about what I did and I supposed that was the chicken way of getting away with it, to kill yourself.'' But he repeats his claim that he still gave 100 percent for South Africa despite admitting taking money to influence matches over the last five years. ``It is such a big temptation as a 26-year-old on the road and somebody comes to you, offers you 50,000 US dollars for a little bit of tiny information and which can be helpful to him. And all you have to do is supply him that tiny piece of information which is not going to affect the way you play, it's not going to affect the way you captain, it's not going to affect the outcome of the game.'' Admitting that he did not know when he would have finally turned his back on bookmakers, Cronje says ``I feel guilty about what I did but the worst thing about all of this was that the leader and the one who really should have been the good influence was the one that caused so much trouble and that is the worst thing I could have done.''

Indian all rounder Ajay Jadeja deposes before the CBI and records his statement in connection with the match fixing scandal. Jadeja, who returned recently from abroad, arrives at CBI headquarters and is grilled by sleuths of the Special Crime Branch for nearly two hours, according to agency sources. The all rounder has been in the thick of the controversy following reports of an alleged nexus between cricketers and bookies to fix matches.

Reports from London indicate that Lt Gen Tauqeer Zia, President of the Pakistan Cricket Board, threatens to question the appointment of Sir Paul Condon, the recently retired Metropolitan Police Commissioner, as Director and head of the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council (ICC). "When the ICC met last month, nobody pointed out to me the inquiry into the Metropolitan Police and it was only afterwards I heard about it. If Sir Paul did not come out of that inquiry clean, I want to take up the matter with the ICC," Gen Zia is quoted as saying in a British newspaper.

The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, AC Muthiah denies that the government has started interfering in the board's functioning after the match-fixing scandal broke out. ``There is no interference from the government. Rightly, the government is concerned about what we plan to do and what measures we are going to take following the match-fixing allegations,'' he tells a news agency. Muthiah says the BCCI has only sought a three-month time frame for the CBI enquiry and an early submission of the report. ``Otherwise, it will have a demoralising affect on the players, including those on whom allegations have been levelled.'' Asked whether former captain Mohammed Azharuddin and current coach Kapil Dev should step down till their names were cleared in the match-fixing case, Muthiah says that BCCI cannot drop players unless they are found guilty.

The Australian Cricket Board is to host an anti corruption conference in Melbourne on Tuesday. The meeting, involving leading officials, will hear from lawyers and gambling experts and include a round table discussion on the regulation of sports gambling and how to educate players. Former Australian off spinner Tim May, who is president of the Australian Cricketers' Association, will speak about the pressures of playing professional sport and the consequences of being a whistle blower. ``If we can find common ground to fight the problem, then that will benefit all sports, not just cricket,'' says ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed.

Former Indian captain Ajay Jadeja denies having any links with bookies or knowledge of match fixing while deposing before the CBI. Jadeja is grilled following allegations about his involvement in betting by former Crime Branch chief of Mumbai police Rakesh Maria. Manoj Prabhakar had submitted video tapes clandestinely shot by him to the agency in which Maria has been shown as naming Jadeja as one of the persons involved in the betting scandal. However, during a two hour long questioning, Jadeja denied the charges, according to CBI sources.

Any Indian cricketer, team official or umpire found guilty of match fixing will face a ban for life and those betting on any match will be barred for five years under a draft code of conduct drawn up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. All players and team officials will also be required to sign an agreement with the BCCI pledging to abide by the code of conduct in respect of betting, match fixing and general conduct. The code, to be finalised by the board's three member committee in Mumbai on July 24, and submitted to Sports Minister SS Dhindsa in New Delhi on August 1, will come into force from the India- Pakistan Sahara Cup series to be played at Toronto from September 9.

Former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar says the betting and match-fixing scandal has been a shock to him but he is confident that this is 'just a passing phase' in the game. Breaking his silence on the scandal, he dismisses attempts to drag his name into the controversy. "I have always been out of this kind of thing. The nation knows I am clean. My whole career has been transparent. I don't have to go out and say anything in my defence,'' he says in an interview published in a news weekly. "The only reason I did not speak about it is that I didn't know anything about it. I would have given a statement if I knew something. So how can I say who is telling the truth and who is not?" Tendulkar says. He denies former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif's claim that he knew everything about match-fixing. "It's not true. And it's not necessary that I react to any person's statements". On the allegation that four of Mumbai's top bookies were present at his wedding, Tendulkar says "As far as I am concerned, there was not a single person of that description at the wedding. I don't know why people are dragging my name into this". On whether Indian cricket could recover from the scandal, he says cricket is too great a game to be permanently affected by these scandals. "It has given so much joy to people all over the world. This is just a passing phase. I am a positive person. I can only look at the positive side" , he adds.

Bertha Cronje still hero-worships her disgraced husband. "He is a human being. I don't think his hero image has been shattered for me. He will always be my hero," she tells Sixty Minutes, a Channel Nine programme, on which she appears with her husband. Bertha says she was shocked when her husband asked her to count the money hidden around their house. "It was very difficult. I had that nauseous feeling in my stomach. I was anxious and I was confused. I counted half of it all wrong and then I stopped and brought it to Bloemfontein," she says. But she adds she accepted her husband's confession calmly. "I told him that it was all right, I think. I told him that it was good he was telling the truth now. He has made other mistakes before. This wasn't the first. I don't think I ever saw Hansie in the way that other people saw him, because he wasn't the cricketer to me, he was my husband."

Hansie Cronje, speaking in the same programme, accepts that the scandal had indeed put their marriage under great strain. "I wouldn't have been surprised if my wife walked out on me but at no stage did I ever get that feeling and I've never had that feeling since the day we got married. She's been absolutely brilliant and there were days when I was really weak, days when I didn't want to get out of bed, days when I didn't want to face the world, and she was the pillar of strength." He says that he is now working towards rebuilding his relationship with Bertha. "I think one of the toughest things for me as a person is going to be to build up the trust again between myself and my wife." This is Cronje's first public interview since he admitted that he wasn't "entirely truthful with his board". Reports have it that Cronje has been paid an undisclosed sum to appear in the interview filmed in South Africa.

Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed sets up a gambling forum in Melbourne in response to the bribery scandals and calls for a code of conduct to rid the game of match fixing. Speed says the ACB has to make sure players fully understand the pitfalls of gambling. ``We are serious about keeping sport honest,'' says Speed who hopes the code is established within three months. ``We need to use players to get the message across to players.'' The ACB will work with the government funded Australian Sports Commission to establish the code.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Gen. Tauqir Zia says Pakistan will co-operate with International Cricket Council corruption inquiries as long as they do not investigate alleged match fixing by local stars. He says Pakistan would again object to the appointment of Paul Condon to lead ICC's anti-corruption unit if the retired police commissioner is not deemed to have a ``clean'' record. He however denies reports that the PCB is on a ``collision course'' with the game's governing body over the match fixing case, which has led to allegations of bias and racism against Pakistanis. ``It's a baseless impression and all the matter relating to cricket are dealt with on principle and if there is a point of objection, we will certainly raise it,'' Gen. Zia tells a news agency in Karachi. Asked whether Pakistan would co-operate with Condon, Zia says it is Lord Griffiths or the commission that would lead any investigation, not Condon. He says the PCB objects to any ICC investigation of match fixing allegations against Pakistani players. ``The chapter of match fixing is closed in Pakistan,'' he asserts.

The Pakistan Cricket Board decides to take an undertaking from its players that they will not indulge in match fixing, gambling or any other irregularity during international cricket matches. A decision to this effect is taken at the PCB meeting with Lt Gen Tauqir Zia in the chair. The members of the national team will be required to sign the undertaking before the team's departure for a triangular series in Singapore in August. This step is taken on instructions from the ICC which has also sent a proforma to be signed by all cricketers participating in international tournaments.

Hansie Cronje, due to arrive in London this week to discuss his future with his advisor Max Clifford, puts off his plans fearing India might seek his extradition, according to British media reports. Cronje is told by his lawyer his extradition will be sought by India if he travels to England as the Delhi police wants to question him about the match fixing scandal. A London based publisher Collins Willow has sought a synopsis of what Cronje would say about his transgressions as captain of the South African team. Cronje is understood to be seeking 250,000 pounds but an advance of this magnitude will depend on whether newspaper serialisation can be obtained. There is also a possibility of the sale of film rights, according to reports.

The noose may be tightening around the Indian players who have been suspected of being involved in the match fixing scandal. This is the inevitable impression after, in what is a swift and well co-ordinated operation, Indian Income Tax officials raid the homes of top cricket players and officials across the country. ``We are carrying out the operations in about 90 different places. In some places, we are making searches and in others surveys,'' says SC Parija, director general of income tax investigations in New Delhi. Among the homes raided are those of current national coach Kapil Dev, former captain Md Azharuddin, and current players Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia and Nikhil Chopra. The raids are carried out in Delhi and Bombay, as well as Calcutta, Chandigarh, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Jaipur. The Calcutta house of former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya is among those targetted in the raids. The premises of 40 alleged bookmakers are also being searched. ``We are co-ordinating with the CBI. We have kept them informed. They will be looking at the criminal angle, while we will investigate the undisclosed incomes,'' says Parija. In Hyderabad, an agency reporter sees six tax officials enter Azharuddin's house in the posh Banjara Hills locality at 11:00 a.m. Two officials then leave the house carrying a suitcase, which eye-witnesses say they took to a local bank before returning and rejoining the search. In Baroda, BCCI secretary JY Lele says the Income Tax raids could be related to the match-fixing controversy. ``I can't say anything more on the raids since it is a government exercise," he says.

ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya warns against a `witchhunt' following the tax raids on the homes of leading players and officials including his own. ``If the raids are part of an effort to cleanse cricket, I welcome it wholeheartedly,'' says Dalmiya following the stunning operations on Thursday that sees more than 300 tax officials swoop down on 85 targets all over India. ``But if it means witch hunting, then it is very regrettable,'' Dalmiya says. Dalmiya, who is questioned for eight hours at a five star hotel in New Delhi, says the raids on his home and office in Calcutta had been carried out without incident. ``There were no charges or allegations against me. The officers asked me about some TV rights and commercial deals from the 1996 World Cup,'' he says, adding ``the officers who met me were extremely accommodating and respectful.'' Later, he walks out of a press briefing after just five minutes when one reporter asks whether he will resign from all posts he holds as a way of accepting moral responsibility for the match fixing scandal.

In India, former CBI Director Joginder Singh says nothing will come out of the CBI investigation into the match-fixing charges as "not a single complaint had been filed by anybody." Talking to reporters, he says "prima facie there does not appear to be violation of any law" in the alleged match-fixing. However, he says, tainted players should step aside on their own on moral grounds.

The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India AC Muthiah says that if all the steps taken by the investigative agencies were going to bring out the truth, then it's a welcome step. In a statement, Muthiah says ``the guilty must be punished but at the same time the innocent should not be harassed.'' Welcoming the government decision on the raids, Muthiah wants the agencies to take the investigation to its logical conclusion as early as possible. ``The board has been very transparent and has given the investigative agencies every document they have asked. The department should come out with the truth behind the inquiry as early as possible. If they leave the probe open ended, it could cause irreparable damage to the game''

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) forms a one-man panel to assess recommendations made in a recent report on match fixing and ways to plug the practice. The report has been compiled by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum. "The PCB has appointed Naveed Rasool to assess the recommendations of Justice Qayyum and has given the one-man commission full investigative powers," PCB Director of Operations Yawar Saeed says in Karachi. "The PCB was a party so we have appointed a neutral man to assess the recommendations of the report,'' says Saeed. "But this doesn't mean we have reopened any inquiry, that task was completed by Justice Qayyum," he stresses.

Income Tax officials in Mumbai conduct a second day of raids on the homes and offices of leading Indian cricketers, their relatives and business associates. ``The raids are continuing. We have begun raiding two more places which had been only surveyed yesterday,'' Prashant Kumar Sarma, director general of investigation in the Mumbai IT department tells a news agency. ``We have recovered some papers indicating unaccounted investments, some cash and jewellry,'' says Sarma who indicates that the raids are likely to concluded by today. He says 12 places have been raided in Mumbai and two in Pune. ``We will now assess the papers found, quantify the amounts they show and initiate proceedings which we will try to conclude within a year. We had reasons to believe that these people had sources of undisclosed income. We have got some leads and will follow them up.''

The King Commission of inquiry will resume its public hearings in October. The commission had ended a first round of hearings on June 26 and is due to hand an interim report to president Thabo Mbeki on August 11. Commission prosecutor Shamila Batohi tells SABC public radio that the resumption of the hearings has been delayed because of logistics.

The Indian government warns the Board of Control for Cricket in India that it will not hesitate to interfere in its working to set things right in the wake of the match fixing scandal. ``The BCCI should not think that the government cannot interfere in its working even if it commits mistakes,'' Sports Minister SS Dhindsa tells a news agency in New Delhi.

Income Tax officials in India say they have found evidence of undisclosed income collected against formmer Indian captains Md Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja and current Indian coach Kapil Dev. They also say that they have found evidence against some prominent bookies. IT officials seal bank lockers belonging to Kapil Dev, his wife Romi Dev and former ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya.

Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa, in a newspaper interview, says the CBI will complete the probe into the match fixing scandal within three months. He reiterates that Md Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Nayan Mongia and Kapil Dev, should on moral grounds, dissociate themselves from the team and wait for the outcome of the inquiry. The Indian Minister of State for Sports Syed Shahnawaz Hussain says in a newspaper interview that incriminating documents have been seized during the raids and adds that nobody will be forgiven. He however says that the government does not want to harass anyone needlessly.

Indian Minister of State for Finance Dhananjaya Kumar says the recent nation wide swoop on leading cricketers, administrators and bookies by the Income Tax Department has established concrete evidence of their role in match fixing. ``We have cogent evidence to prove the nexus in match fixing for amassing this kind of wealth. The IT department has substantial evidence to prove concealment of wealth,'' he says. The Minister says that it would take two months to complete the entire proceedings to establish their involvement. He adds that the prosecution on various tax evasion charges could entail varied jail terms ranging from three to seven years.

South Africa's King commission of inquiry into match-fixing broadens its investigation to include the financial affairs of players involved in all the matches covered by its terms of reference. Commission secretary John Bacon confirms that the commission was serving subpoenas on members of the party that toured India in 1996, the players who turned out against England during their recent tour to South Africa and those who subsequently toured India. He says the subpoenas, requesting details of their financial affairs in South Africa and abroad during the periods in question, extended to team management as well and covered a period up to April 19 this year. The 1996 tour formed part of the commission's initial frame of reference because the last match of the tour, a benefit game for former Indian player Mohinder Armanath which was upgraded to the status of a one-day international at the last minute, was a match which the team was offered money to throw.

In India, the Gujarat State government decides to remove a chapter on former Indian captain and current coach Kapil Dev from the Class X curriculum following allegations against him in the match fixing scandal. The State Education Minister Anandiben Patel says the government has decided to delete the chapter on Kapil Dev following the recent raids by the Income Tax officials on his office and residential premises. ``The issue had been under the consideration of the State Government ever since the match fixing controversy broke out and now after the IT raids, I feel it is time to take a decision on the matter,'' she says. The chapter, included as a supplementary reading in the textbook published by the State Text Book Board, gives an account of Kapil Dev's childhood days in Chandigarh.

Hansie Cronje says he was tempted to commit suicide after his involvement in the betting scandal was revealed, according to media reports from London. In his first newspaper interview since the scanda l broke out in April, Cronje told the Sunday Telegrpah: ``Yes, there were dark moments when I wondered whether it was still worth living. I would think, Hansie you have fallen so far anyway. A few more feet won't matter. But I have caused so much pain to my family already I could not put them through more. Not that'' he is quoted as saying. ``There is no one to blame for the position I am in but myself. Whatever happens, whatever it takes, I am going to see this through to the better end,'' he says. The former South African captain says he is not asking anyone to feel sorry for him. ``This tragedy is entirely of my own making. It would be easier to list those people I have not let down rather than those that I have. After crossing out my wife, my dad, my family, my team, my sport and my country, there is not much left,'' he said.

Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed says the ACB will not reopen any inquiry into the Shane Warne-Mark Waugh bookmaker scandal unless new evidence emerges. This was in response to former Pakistan captain Imran Khan questioning the explanation given by Waugh and Warne as to why they took money from an Indian bookmaker in 1994 and urged the ACB to re-examine the case. In an interview with the ABC's Four Corners programme, Imran scoffed at the story offered by the Australians over the 9,000 US dollars they were paid by a bookmaker known only as John. ``With hindsight it makes no sense. Why would the bookies just give money to anyone for just giving a pitch report?'' asked Imran. But Speed says he would look at the case again only there was fresh evidence but so far none had been offered. ``Imran Khan says he is not happy with the way it was dealt with and wanted it reopened but gave no basis for that other than saying he wasn't happy with it,'' Speed tells ABC Radio.

In India, Income Tax authorities start opening bank lockers belonging to a cricketer and his associate, setting in motion the process of examining contents of a large number of lockers sealed during the massive searches conducted by the authorities at the premises of top cricketers, administrators and bookies. ``We have started the process of opening the lockers today and two out of 17 lockers sealed during the searches in the capital have been opened,'' director general (investigation) of Income Tax SC Parija says. He adds the process of completing the opening of lockers is likely to be completed within a week's time.

Indian revenue detectives say they are waiting to interview three leading cricketers on their return from Britain. The IT department says it is awaiting the return of former captains Md Azharuddin and players Ajay Jadeja and Nikhil Chopra from London where the three are set to play a one day match at the Oval on July 29. ``They will be closely questioned on their return,'' says a source from the IT department which conducted nationwide raids last week at the home of players, officials and bookmakers suspected to be linked to match fixing.

A high level two member CBI team from India flies to London to seek the assistance of Scotland Yard police which is also probing the match fixing scandal. Sources say that the high level team comprising joint director of special crime division RN Sawani and his deputy, Inspector General of Police YP Singh, who are supervising the probe, will be in England for a week to probe the England link in the case. The two officers are expected to request Scotland Yard to part with the information gathered by them about Indian bookies and cricketers allegedly involved in match fixing.

The Ludhiana Citizens Council, which honoured Kapil Dev when he became the highest wicket taker in Tests, says it will withdraw the award if he is found guilty in the match fixing scandal. The LCC presented a cash award of Rs 4.32 lakhs to Kapil Dev at a public function in Ludhiana when he broke Sir Richard Hadlee's world record of 431 wickets. The LCC president Agya Pal Singh says the amount was collected through public donations. If Kapil Dev was guilty, the LCC would ask for the amount to be returned and use it for charitable purposes. The LCC might move the court in case the former Indian captain failed to respond.

Pakistan players will be officially `watchdogged' on home and away tours to keep them in check, Pakistan Cricket Board chief Gen Tauqir Zia says. The extraordinary step of planing a mole, the identity of whom will be kept secret, among the national side follows a spate of match fixing allegations and off field discipline problems which has tarnished the reputation of Pakistan cricket. ``It is part of a range of drastic measures the PCB plans to introduce to make the players' image clean and clear,'' says Zia. ``As per Justice Malik Md Qayyum's report, we have decided to keep players under tight control and an official will keep a tight check on their activities on and off the field,'' says Zia. He says a one man commission would also be set up to check the players' assets and tough clauses would be introduced into their contracts banning them from unauthorised phone calls and liaisons in hotel rooms. The secret observer will report to the PCB after every series, he says.

Australian Test batsman Mark Waugh says he is willing to have his financial records scrutinised if necessary to prove he has told the truth about his dealings with an Indian bookmaker. He dismisses comments by former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who had expressed doubt about the explanations given by Waugh and teammate Shane Warne over their involvement with the bookmaker. The two leading Australian players were fined by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) after admitting accepting money in 1994 from the bookie known as ``John'' in return for weather and pitch information. Imran questioned their explanation when interviewed by the ABC's Four Corners in a programme broadcast in Sydney on Monday night. Imran called on the ACB to re-open its inquiry into the Warne-Waugh affair but the ACB said on Tuesday there was no point unless fresh evidence came to light and Waugh was quick to agree. ``I've been through two inquiries, the Pakistan judicial inquiry and the (ACB's) O'Regan inquiry last year, and as far as I'm concerned that's plenty,'' Waugh said. He added no one from the ACB had spoken to him about opening up his bank accounts for scrutiny. Asked if he would be willing to have his financial records examined, Waugh said: ``If need be, then yeah.'' Waugh, who admitted to being hurt whenever the 1994 bookie incident was brought up, said he wanted to distance himself from the match-fixing scandal. ``I hope we can just get on with the game,'' he said. ``There's too many negative things happening and I think we should concentrate more on the positive aspects of the game.''

Indian revenue detectives say that the results of their nationwide raids against cricketers, bookies and officials would soon be unveiled in Parliament. The announcement comes as income tax officials open three bank safe deposit lockers belonging to Navjot Singh Sidhu, one of the many national players raided by IT officials last week. Director General of Income Tax SC Parija confirms that details of the raids, the largest such exercise conducted to stamp out match fixing and corruption from the game, would be first presented to Parliament. ``Whatever seizure is made, it would be revealed in Parliament by the Finance Minister himself,'' Parija tells reporters in New Delhi. Nearly 60 bank lockers, including 17 in New Delhi, 10 in Mumbai and three in Calcutta have been seized during the raids and IT sources say the remaining deposit boxes would be opened within seven days, while adding that evidence of untaxed wealth accumulated by players and bookies found in the six lockers opened so far were a `treasure trove.'

Income Tax officials in India tighten the noose around former captain Md Azharuddin with a series of raids on his wife's house and her associates. A spokesman from the IT department says that about 70 officials had conducted raids in the night, targetting the houses and offices of various alleged bookies as well as Azharuddin's wife, former actress Sangeeta Bijlani. ``Incriminating documents relating to property and income tax evasion have been recovered,'' a spokesman says.

Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa says in Ludhiana that any cricketer found guilty in the match-fixing scandal would be deprived of all national honours and awards conferred on him. He however clarifies that any action against the players will be taken only after the CBI investigations are over. On Kapil Dev's continuance as coach, Dhindsa says a decision will be taken as per the new code of conduct for players and officials being finalised by the BCCI.

The Indian Minister of State for Sports Shahnawaz Hussain justifies the government stand to get involved in the finalisation of the code of conduct for players. However, the BCCI secretary Jaywant Lele asserts that the board is not under pressure from the Sports Ministry on the code of conduct. Lele says "We are an autonomous body. We will finalise the code of conduct and submit it to the government."

The Johannesburg Sunday Times reports that former South African captain Hansie Cronje has hired Britain's leading celebrity agent Max Clifford to help him cash in on the match-fixing scandal which led to his downfall. The report confirms that the London-based Clifford was promoting Cronje and brokering interviews, book deals and is contemplating the idea of a Cronje film following queries from international scriptwriters.

BCCI president AC Muthiah echoes the views of Sports Minister SS Dhindsa on penalising those players involved in match-fixing by erasing all the records. Muthiah says "We have decided, as a penalty for the guilty, that we'll erase all records and revoke the awards." Talking to the media in New Delhi, Muthiah says there is no interference from the government in framing the new code of conduct for the players. He says "I don't think government wants to interfere in our framing of the code. We will take their suggestions and include it, but it is for the BCCI Working Committee to ratify it." He stands by the cricketers saying that none of the players will be dropped though there is are some allegations of match-fixing. ``On what grounds can a player be dropped?'' he asks. ``If on merit they are selected, how can I stop them from playing for the country," he says. Muthiah however adds that if the players are found guilty during the probe, "then we will not allow them to play."

Former Indian cricketer and a Rajya Sabha MP, Kirti Azad says in New Delhi that the board should own moral responsibility for the match-fixing scandal. He criticises the BCCI saying it was "the worst offender" in the scandal. In a press release, Azad says "in all this (match-fixing controversy and corruption charges), the board is the worst offender. It has devalued the game and presided over the crass commercialisation and corruption." He adds "The game has fallen into disrepute under the present management and I strongly urge the Government to take over the affairs of BCCI till such time as a new constitution is drafted and fresh officials elected."

Hansie Cronje's spiritual advisor urges the former South African captain not to cash in on the match fixing scandal which led to his downfall but to make amends. Pastor Ray McCauley, head of South Africa's Rhema Church, tells SABC radio that he was `shocked' to learn from news reports that Cronje had hired leading British celebrity agent Max Clifford to secure lucrative interviews and book deals for him. McCauley says he will call Cronje to urge him to reconsider. ``My advice to him would be to stop, stop right now.'' says McCauley to whom Cronje broke his silence in an early morning confession in April about his involvement with bookies.

Former Supreme Court judge Fakhruddin Ebrahim lashes out at the Pakistan Cricket Board for taking action against players on the basis of an inquiry report. ``The judge made mere recommendations and all the allegations were not substantiated and yet the PCB took action against players,'' Ebrahim tells a seminar in Karachi on match fixing in cricket. Questioning the release of the report, Ebrahim says ``the findings should have been handed over to the authorities and should not have been made public. We have condemned no less than eight or nine top level players besides tarnishing our image in international cricket.'' he says, adding ``there should be an inquiry on why these findings were made public.''

In India, cricket officials urge the government to hasten the investigation into the match fixing scandal saying it put needless pressure on players. ``The probe must conclude soon and the suspense got over with,'' Board of Control for Cricket in India president AC Muthiah tells Sports Minister SS Dhindsa at a meeting in New Delhi. ``It is very demoralising for the team to play when you have a sword hanging over your head,'' says Muthiah, adding that the minister's response was `positive'.

In New Delhi, the bank locker of Ajay Jadeja is oepned by income tax authorities. The locker, which is in the name of his mother, was sealed during the nationwide raids on cricketers, officials and bookies on July 20 and 21. With this, the number of lockers opened by the IT authorites rises to eleven according to IT sources. Jadeja was in London at the time of the raids and arrived in India only earlier in the week.

Income tax authorites in India write to former Test cricketer Ajay Sharma, currenly in London, to intimate the department about his arrival for an assessment of his assets found during the recent countrywide raids. The department is awaiting his reply after which further action would be initiated, according to sources. A CBI team comprising joint director RN Sawani and DIG YK Singh, which left for London soon after the raids started, has already questioned Sharma about his alleged links with the bookies.

The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India AC Muthiah, the secretary JY Lele and the treasurer KM Rungta depose before the CBI in connection with the match fixing scandal. According to CBI officials, there was a mutual exchange of views on a variety of allegations. Muthiah tells reporters that general things were discussed and information was exchanged. The deposition of the three top ranking officials comes close on the heels of the nationwide raids conducted by the income tax officials. It's the first time since the CBI registered a preliminary enquiry on May 2 that the leading cricket administrators have appeared before the investigating agency.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informs the Delhi High Court that it has a right to prosecute the match fixing accused for alleged hawala transactions under the repealed Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) within the two years limit prescribed in the new Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The Additional Solicitor General SB Jaisinghani tells the court that a certain section of FEMA gives an option to the ED to prosecute an offender under FERA within two years of the new act coming into force. FEMA became effective from June 1 this year. His contention comes during the hearing of a petition by the alleged bookie Rajesh Kalra who challenged the ED taking action against him under FERA. The ED had arrested Kalra along with film actor Kishan Kumar after the Delhi police had registered a case against him. The ED alleged that both Kalra and Kumar were involved in hawala transactions relating to the match fixing deals.

<>b>August 5

New Delhi police arrest a third bookmaker linked to the match fixing scandal involving Hansie Cronje, a crime branch source tells a news agency. The official says police arrested Sunil Dara, alias Bittoo from New Delhi's main bus terminus. ``He was trying to flee from the city. We earlier raided his house,'' the official says. Two bookmakers Rajesh Kalra and Kishan Kumar had been arrested by police earlier. They are currently on bail. Another suspect linked to the scandal, London based Indian Sanjiv Chawla, has not been arrested as yet. A crime branch source says Dara ``was working in tandem with Kalra and Kumar. We recovered a mobile phone along with the SIM card which was used for match fixing and betting,'' the official says, adding that Dara had made `suspicious visits' to Dubai and Australia.

Former Pakistan captain Salim Malik pleads with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to withdraw a lifetime ban imposed by a match fixing inquiry. In a letter to the PCB, Malik challenges the recommendations of Judge Malik Md. Qayyum who conducted the inquiry. Malik and Ata ur Rehman were banned for life while six other players, including Wasim Akram, were fined in the recommendations which were implemented by the PCB in May this year. ``There were four specific allegations of match fixing against me and I have been found not guilty in two of them and in the third allegation a crucial witness did not testify. In the fourth allegation I have been found guilty not of match fixing but attempting to fix the first Test match at Karachi in September 1994 against Australia. I was not trying to make Pakistan lose but I tried to ensure Pakistan's victory, if I ever made that offer,'' says Malik in the letter.

Indian Deputy Finance Minister Dhananjaya Kumar tells Parliament that the raids by taxmen on the homes of leading Indian cricketers and officials have resulted in seizures of over 900,000 dollars in unaccounted funds. He says cash and assets worth Rs 37 million were found and taken following about 90 raids in various cities in India last month. ``The inquiry is still on and as many as 25 bank safe deposit boxes sealed during the raids conducted on July 20 and 21 are yet to be opened,'' says Kumar who adds that the players targetted included Md Azharuddin, Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja, Nikhil Chopra, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and Navjot Singh Sidhu. He also confirms that homes and offices of the treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India Kishore Rungta and former president of the International Cricket Council Jagmohan Dalmiya were also searched during the raids, codenamed `Operation Gentleman'. During the same debate in Parliament, Indian Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha however says agents probing match fixing charges will not reveal names of those caught with unaccounted assets unless established in a court of law. ``We will maintain greatest circumspection to ensure that nobody is maligned. The government has not come to any conclusion and nobody will be named before the matter is fully examined,'' says Sinha.

In India, the CBI and income tax authorities have a meeting to chalk out their future course of action in the match fixing case. The CBI had asked the IT officials to share any information which the department had come across during the nationwide raids.

The Australian Cricket Board dismisses an allegation by former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik that Australians were involved in match fixing during a 1994 tour of Pakistan. ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed says in a statement that ACB investigations officer Greg Melick conducted a comprehensive and thorough investigation into the Salim Maleek claims and has established that there is no evidence to support such suggestions. Maleek had mad a claime to undercover reporters of a British Sunday newspaper that during one game on the 1994 tour, Pakistan and Australia were both trying to lose. The ACB says it will send the Melick report to the ICC's code of conduct commission for consideration.

Australian Cricket Board chief executive Malcolm Speed says there is no quick fix for the corruption and match fixing scandals that have rocked the game of late. ``It may not be something that we can say within a month, within three months, within a year we have weeded out the people involved in the evils of match fixing,'' says Speed. He compares the task to the efforts other sports have made to solve doping problems, pointing out that the performance enhancing drugs have been an unsolved problem for more than 30 years.

A report in a Johannesburg newspaper says that Judge Edwin King, head of the commission of inquiry into the Hansie Cronje match fixing scandal is expected to recommend suspended life bans for Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams who admitted agreeing to help throw matches. Gibbs and Williams told the commission that Cronje had offered them money to underperform in matches against India this year. The newspaper reported that it is anticipated in cricketing circles that King will recommend a life ban for the two players but will suggest that this be suspended for the rest of their cricketing careers.

The UCBSA confirms that disciplinary hearings for Herschele Gibbs, Henry Williams and Pieter Strydom will be held on August 19. The hearings arise out of evidence before the King Commission of inquiry in June and the three cricketers will face a three man disciplinary panel which will meet with the general council of the UCBSA on August 27. The findings will be made public on August 28.

The South African government warns Hansie Cronje that it could strip him of immunity from prosecution if he sells his ``secrets'' to foreign media before disclosing them to the King Commission. ``Granting interviews and writing a book for a fee may be his prerogative but Hansie Cronje must realise that the Commission has not yet finished its work,'' Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour says while reacting to reports that Cronje has signed up with the publicist Max Clifford of London. Cronje was granted immunity from criminal prosecution in South Africa on condition he told the whole truth about his involvement in the case. Should Judge Edwin King find that Cronje has not made a full disclosure this indemnity will fall away.

Judge Edwin King hands over to the South African government his interim report into the country's match fixing scandal stressing it made no final recommendations. ``There has been a measure of speculation that has been quite unfounded,'' King says as he hands the report to Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour and Justice Minister Penuell Maduna. The report, which will be passed on to President Thabo Mbeki, details the progress to date in gathering evidence in the match fixing case.

State prosecutor for the King Commission of inquiry Shamila Batohi, and one of her assistants will soon travel to New Delhi to speak to Indian investigators about the match fixing scandal. This is disclosed by a commission spokesman in Cape Town as the interim report is handed over to the government by judge Edwin King. Batohi is likely to evaluate the Hansie Cronje tapes in the possession of the New Delhi police.

In India, the residence of a former BCCI president is raided by income tax authorities and a `substantial amount' of jewellery is seized while a bank locker is sealed. According to IT officials who carried out the searches last week, ``this was part of a follow up exercise as we had recovered some documents which gave us a clue. We have not yet assessed the jewellery nor searched the locker.''

Former India player Ajay Sharma, said to be a key figure in the match fixing scandal will return to New Delhi after completing his cricketing assignments in England by the second week of September. This is conveyed by CBI officials who had a meeting with Sharma in London this month. The department had earlier written to Sharma who left the country immediately after the scandal surfaced. The residential and office premises of Sharma were raided on July 20.

In India, the income tax authorities say they are preparing a report on the documents and other material taken out of the lockers of cricketers, administrators and bookies which were sealed during the nationwide raids on July 20 and 21. IT sources say that authorities had seized a great deal of documents and papers relating to transactions. The report will be completed only after all the lockers sealed during the raids are opened. The sources say an appraisal report on all raids have to be completed and for that the department needs the presence of two players who are abroad. Ajay Sharma and Nikhil Chopra, whose houses were raided during the raids are abroad and the raids at their premises would be complete only after they arrive as the IT department has to register their preliminary statements.