Match-fixing charges be investigated: Hasib Ahsan (8 May 1997)

y 1997

Match-fixing charges be investigated: Hasib Ahsan

By Our Sports Reporter

KARACHI, May 7: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not setting up a good example of discipline and instead wants to favour some selected people, former Chairman of Selectors, Hasib Ahsan, observed.

Ahsan said if the PCB wanted to maintain discipline, they should have also taken stern punitive action against the players who travelled to Sri Lanka despite carrying injuries. "If the players didn't inform the selectors that they were injured, they should be punished otherwise the selectors should be sacked for picking walking wounded players because of whom the Pakistan cricket team struggled against one of the weakest Test teams," Ahsan, a balanced critic, said.

The former Test off-spinner lauded the selectors for the wisdom of selecting Aqib Javed for the Indian tour. But he said: "The selection of Aqib confirms the apprehensions that he was not sidelined on disciplinary grounds but it was a personal grudge between the selectors and the player. The selectors carrying these feelings should be removed at once because their intentions are only aimed at disturbing the equilibrium in the team," he added. Ahsan emphasised that the whole game of the PCB was to bring Ramiz Raja as captain of the team. "If you recall, Zafar Altaf was sacked unconstitutionally when he refused to include the opener for the England tour last year. "Then Aamir Sohail was banned for 30 days and later two years so that there was no hitch in appointing Raja as captain," Ahsan pointed out. "It is amazing that a player who is in declined and can't show alacrity on the field has been given the helmsmanship of team's affairs," he added.

Hasib Ahsan felt that when Aamir Sohail had levelled serious betting and match-fixing allegations, it was the best opportunity for the PCB to clear the mess. "These allegations are being levelled for the last three years and the administrators are just sitting in the corner and smiling instead of playing their proper role. "Rashid Latif and Basit Ali said the same thing two years back and at a time when all was clear about what was happening in Africa but they were banned. Now Aamir Sohail has been banned. The cricket board should realise that the three players put their careers at stake by making such serious allegations."

Ahsan said at least Aamir Sohail should have been given a proper chance to prove his allegations and if it was concluded that the former captain was black-mailing the board, then he should have been banned for life. "The best method for taking up the allegations would have been that all the players accused by Sohail should have confronted him in front of independent people who had no vested interests. Something or the other must have come out for the panel to reach a conclusion. "Malaysia banned its entire soccer team on similar charges and it was done because the authorities took the charges very seriously and managed to find out the exact story. The same can be done if the officials like," he stated. Ahsan demanded that the current cricket board setup should be

immediately suspended and investigations should be conducted against all accused of being involved in match-fixing and betting. "The Pakistan Sports Board and the Government of Pakistan should take the initiative." Hasib Ahsan said the PCB constitution was also not approved by the National Assembly and thus it doesn't exist at all. Ahsan pointed out that the current policy of the PCB was to honour the players who ditched Pakistan cricket team and preferred to play for Kerry Packer for which they were banned later.

Source:: Dawn (https://xiber.com/dawn/)