Latif apologises for raising 'fancy fixing' fears

Just one week after raising the issue of "fancy fixing" in a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), exclusively published on Wisden Cricinfo, Rashid Latif has apologised to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his action. Samiul Hasan, the PCB spokesman, said: "He [Latif] has written to the PCB saying he committed a mistake by writing that letter without consulting the Board. He regretted his decision and said he would not do any such thing in future without prior clearance from the board."

Hasan clarified that despite the apology, the board might yet take disciplinary action against Latif. "We have asked the ICC to explain if any procedures were violated. If the ICC says yes, then the matter would be referred to the PCB disciplinary committee, which comprises two judges, one legal advisor and a former Test cricketer."

While admitting that the letter had put the board in a "very awkward position", Hasan was quick to point out that the PCB fully understood Latif's concern over matchfixing. "He has been a front-runner in exposing matchfixing activities and has even put his career at stake," said Hasan. "He has not named any cricketer in his letter. Also, nowhere in his letter does he say that matchfixing was still taking place. So whatever he has written are his personal views. He has a right to his views as captain of the team."

In his letter to the ICC, Latif had raised concerns about the occurrence of "fancy fixing" - a form of matchfixing where bets are placed on various smaller aspects of the match. According to a report in The Independent, the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit had noted this phenomenon too - Lord Condon, head of the ACU, had listed nine specific aspects in his draft report two years ago, terming them "occurrence fixing".

The ICC is likely to ask Latif to raise his concerns at the annual international captains' meet, which takes place in September.