ICC to probe bookie's presence

The International Cricket Council (ICC) sleuths will be arriving in New Zealand sometime this week to investigate the alleged presence of a notorious Indian bookmaker Ratan Kumar there last month.

According to information gathered, the ICC investigators will be attempting to unearth all the details available about Kumar like where he stayed and the people he met.

A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman confirmed that the sleuths, comprising mostly of Scotland Yard detectives, will be in New Zealand but was unaware of their activities.

"We have not been formally informed by the ICC that their investigators will be in New Zealand (during the time Pakistan team is there). But we have learnt through our own sources," director of the board Brig Munawwar Rana said from Lahore.

He added: "As far as we are concerned, the investigators will not be talking to our players."

Information collected from various quarters reveal that Kumar was in New Zealand during the five-match One-day International series last month.

Kumar was mentioned as Mr `R' by Dr Ali Bacher, former managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA), during his testimony before Justice Edwin King inquiry in the Hansie Cronje scandal.

Kumar is stated to be a close ally of bookmaker Mukesh Gupta who was arrested and later released in England by Scotland Yard last year.

According to insiders in the PCB, the establishment used their own resources to find if Kumar was really in New Zealand. But their efforts remained unsuccessful.

However, it has been confirmed that some of the unidentified Pakistan players attended a few parties thrown by Kumar during the 1998-99 tour to India.

Pakistan cricketers put up splendid performances on their first Test tour to India in 13 years when they won two Tests at Chennai and Calcutta besides winning the tri-nation series defeating India and Sri Lanka.