PCB probe committee to question ex-managers (30 May 1998)

30 May 1998

PCB probe committee to question ex-managers

By Our Sports Reporter

KARACHI, May 29:

The Pakistan Cricket Board's probe committee investigating betting and match-fixing will examine former managers who had been associated with the national team in the last four to five years.

The chairman of the probe committee, Justice Ijaz Yousuf, said from Quetta that his colleagues were seriously considering to talk to the managers of the team in detail.

He said the exercise may not be very useful as the managers submit reports of every tour but emphasised that his committee didn't want to leave any loose ends. "We want to conduct a detailed and proper investigation in the matter so that it is settled once and for all."

Justice Ijaz Yousuf didn't single out any individual but said his committee would probe the managers of the recent past.

"There had been allegations by Sarfaraz Nawaz but his main targets have been players of the past. We will look into the past but after going through details of the present," Justice Yousuf said.

Justice Yousuf said he was hoping to get a feed back from former managers about the attitude and behaviour of the accused cricketers on various tours in the past four to five years.

"Four to five years has been made the criterion after three Australian players accused a former cricketer of offering a bribe to throw away a match. Since then, similar serious accusations have been made by players," Justice Yousuf added.

Justice Yousuf clarified that he would not be reopening the Salim Malik case but stated it was still not an "open and shut case."

"An incident took place and if required, it would be discussed again."

Asked if he would be examining the Australian players who accused Salim Malik, Justice Ijaz Yousuf said it had not been decided yet. Mark Waugh is one of the players scheduled to tour with Australia later this year while Tim May has called it a day and Shane Warne is a doubtful starter because of shoulder injury.

If the probe committee decides to examine former managers, Intikhab Alam might be one of the key figures as he was the manager of the teams that toured Australia in 1995-96, in the 1996 World Cup and followed it up with tours of Singapore and Sharjah.

Justice Ijaz Yousuf stated that his committee would be meeting again sometime next week at the cricket headquarters in Lahore.

He was firm in saying that the three cricketers (Aamir Sohail, Ramiz Raja and Basit Ali) asked to appear before the committee earlier this month, will be called again. "If they refuse to appear this time also, they would be penalised because they have levelled accusations and they should substantiate them," he asserted.

He said the three cricketers turned a deaf ear to his earlier call, "but they had some very genuine demands. They wanted that their visit (to Quetta) should be financed by the cricket board."

Justice Ijaz Yousuf said if required, he would also call a few national team players currently attending the training camp at the Qadhafi Stadium.".

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