Mixed reactions from players, officials to CBI report

So finally the report is out and has been made public. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed perhaps the most shameful chapter in the history of cricket. Off the field, Indian cricket has hit a new low over the past six months. On the field, things have been no better and the team reached a nadir in Sharjah just the other day.

In a damning expose, the CBI report has ripped apart the reputation of many Indian and foreign players. The 162-page report has alleged that former Indian captain Md Azharuddin along with Ajay Jadeja and Nayan Mongia fixed some games for money. Another Indian players who is said to have a nexus with the bookies is former Indian player Ajay Sharma. The man who first blew the siren and talked of cleansing the game Manoj Prabhakar has also been named in the report of wrong doing.

Azharuddin has named his former teammates Jadeja and Mongia as being involved with him in fixing matches, according to the report submitted by the agency to the government.

Another name which may surprise many is that of former Indian physio Ali Irani who is said to have been a conduit of Azharuddin. The report said that Irani has been named by the investigating agency as having "acted as a conduit for receiving payments on behalf of Azharuddin from MK and his associates." Azhar is alleged to have paid Irani money on each occasion he received payments on the former's behalf, the report said.

But perhaps the most shocking aspect of the report is that match fixing is not only a virus in India or confined to Indian cricketers. The report has it that the menace has spread its venom to other cricketing nations too.

The Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa said on Tuesday that apart from the Indian players, former England captain Alec Stewart and former West Indies captain Brian Lara along with seven other foreign cricketers have been named by bookies. He also added that Australian player Dean Jones has also been named in the report.

The report does not specify whether the foreign players accepted or turned down the request made by Mukesh Gupta, an alleged bookie, to throw matches. The players named in the report are former England captain Alec Stewart, West Indian batting stalwart Brian Lara, Australians Mark Waugh and Dean Jones, Sri Lanka's Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga, former South African skipper Hansie Cronje, former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe and former Pakistan skipper Salim Malik.

The immediate reaction from various quarters of the world has been one of shock and disbelief.

Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe strongly denied that he was linked to match-fixing in India. Talking to AFP on Wednesday, Crowe said "I'm shattered that my name is mentioned when you don't know what it's for. I'll be more than interested to see what this report says. The only incident I've ever had is with a so-called journalist in 1992. That was this guy Gupta who did a couple of articles with me over the phone and then revealed he was a bookie, at which time I told him to leave me alone. That was about the only contact I've ever had with that part of the world and the first time I've heard of it since.'' He added I've never had any contact with these dudes (bookmakers). It certainly never came into direct contact with the New Zealand team at the time, but we did hear whispers of things from the sub-continent."

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Chris Doig said he was unaware of the content of the report, and would make no comment until he knew the full details.

Former Australian batsman Dean Jones was quick to deny the allegations. "I'm obviously surprised about this. In what way has my name been brought up?" Jones told ABC radio, quotes AFP. Jones said "In 1992, there was the well-documented situation where I was approached by a bookmaker and by an Indian player - most of the Australian players know who that guy was -- so whether they used me to throw a bit of dirt around, I don't know. All my books are open, anyone can go through my place. There is one player throwing a lot of dirt over there trying to protect his backside at the moment."

English cricket officials remained silent on Wednesday after former captain Alec Stewart was named in the agency's report which claims that bookmaker Mukesh Gupta paid Stewart 5,000 pounds for pitch, weather and team information. The official team spokesman Andrew Walpole said in Rawalpindi "We are in constant touch with the England and Wales Cricket Board in London and Stewart or any other official will not make any comment until the report is made public."

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief Pat Rousseau said he would not comment on an Indian government report that allegedly accuses former West Indies captain Brian Lara and others of involvement in a match-fixing scandal. Rousseau said "So far all we can hear is sources saying this and that without a shred of evidence." The Observer quoted him as saying that "Until we do, it is unfair to fuel the rumour mill."

PTI, quoting an AP report said that the WICB chief executive Gregory Shillingford on Tuesday said that the British investigators had interviewed Lara. Shillingford said he believed they were seeking evidence against an alleged bookmaker. "It was simply a matter of Brian verifying that he had been approached by an Indian bookmaker during one of his stopovers in London and that he had told the man he wanted nothing to do him," Shillingford said. Lara has denied any involvement. He was scheduled to leave Jamaica Monday night with the West Indies for their tour in Australia.

Finally, the Sri Lankan officials cricket were dismayed over the allegations against their two super stars Arjuna Ranatunga and his deputy Aravinda de Silva on the report that they accepted bribes to fix matches. Mukesh Gupta had claimed in the CBI report that the two cricketers helped him fix an Indian victory in the Lucknow Test in 1994. He also said that de Silva was paid 15,000 dollars. A Lankan Board official said "Both players are now seeking legal advice and a statement will be issued later. The allegations, coming from a questionable character, lack credibility."