Walcott: ICC Lacks Power To Act (02 Nov 1995)

Electronic Telegraph Thursday 2 November 1995 Cricket

Bribery: ICC lacks power to act says Sir Clyde Walcott

By Richard Bright in Bridgetown

SIR Clyde Walcott, chairman of the International Cricket Council, has called for members to give the organisation powers to adjudicate on bribery allegations such as those made against Pakistan batsman Salim Malik by Australian players.

Walcott, the former West Indian Test player, said the ICC had no constitutional authority to take action in the case. The Australian Cricket Board have claimed that the ICC had the necessary authority.

"When these allegations were made several months ago," Walcott told the Voice of Barbados radio station, "we had legal advice and were advised that the ICC had no authority to investigate these alleged actions since the players concerned were contracted to their home boards."

"We had nothing in our code of conduct that we could use to discipline these players if found guilty," he maintained.

Walcott said the ICC should change their constitution to let them investigate and, if necessary, take action in such cases. "Australia is putting the blame on the ICC but Australia is part of the ICC," he added.

Australians Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh alleged that Salim, then Pakistan captain, offered them bribes to lose a Test in Karachi last October.

A Pakistan Cricket Board inquiry, conducted by former Pakistan supreme court judge Fakharuddin Ebrahim, exonerated Salim three weeks ago. In his report Ebrahim said the allegations "cannot be believed and appear to have been concocted for reasons best known to the accusers".

The ACB criticised the ICC on Monday for not acting on the matter. "In the ACB`s view, not only did the ICC have power, but it is clearly appropriate for it to conduct an inquiry," the board said in a statement.

There is the prospect of Salim confronting one of his accusers, off-spinner May, on the field when the Pakistanis begin a fourday game against South Australia in Adelaide today.

South Australia officials said yesterday that they would not be employing any extra security in the wake of the controversial bribery furore, though a guard would be on patrol in front of the two dressing rooms.

Source :: Electronic Telegraph