Speed denies acquaintance with murdered Indian poet

Just when you thought cricket had had its month's quota of scandals, there is a whiff of another, and it involves Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the ICC. Indian newspapers are full of reports of Speed's alleged acquaintance with Madhumita Shukla, a fledgling Hindi poet whose murder last May led to a controversy involving many politicians. Speed has been quick to deny the allegations.

The discovery of a hotel-room swipe card in Shukla's apartment has led the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to believe that Shukla spent time in Speed's company in late November 2002. Speed was in New Delhi at the time to meet BCCI officials to resolve a dispute over player contracts ahead of the 2003 World Cup, and addressed a press conference on November 20 last year.

When Shukla's house was searched following her murder on May 9, the police found key cards to a hotel room in Delhi. Investigations revealed that these were keys to Speed's room. CBI officials were however quoted as saying that the discovery of the key had nothing to do with the murder investigations, in which a former minister of the Uttar Pradesh government is one of the suspects.

Speed has denied knowing Shukla. The Indian Express newspaper quotes him as saying: "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady. (After media enquiries) I have seen a picture of the lady on the Internet and at no time during my stay do I recall meeting or talking with this person. If she was present at one of the social occasions I attended, I do not recall seeing or meeting her. In short, I do not know the woman concerned." He added that the whole affair was "a mystery and came as a surprise."