Waugh to play after agreeing to interview

MELBOURNE - Mark Waugh will be available to play for Australia tomorrow against the West Indies after he agreed today to meet with anti-corruption investigators next month.

Australian Cricket Board investigator Greg Melick and the International Cricket Council's Anti Corruption Unit want to talk to Waugh about allegations by illegal Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta, including one that he paid the Test batsman $US20,000 for information during a 1993 tournament in Hong Kong.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed said a meeting would be held next week to set out the protocol for the interview.

"We can't dictate to the investigators how they go about their business," said Speed.

"They are independent and have a job to do and the fewer fences around them the better."

After his manager issued a statement on Monday saying he would not talk, Waugh backed down today following Speed's ultimatum yesterday that he would be dropped from the Australian team if he didn't agree to be interviewed.

Speed said the ACB had gone beyond its duty by complying with Waugh's request for information on what the investigators would ask him.

"Investigators don't normally telegraph their punches and they're not required to send a form listing all the questions and say tick the box," he said.

"They are entitled to go in and conduct investigations as they see fit."

However Speed said after talking with the investigators they agreed to highlight five areas on which they intend to quiz Waugh.

"We don't have to do it but we're happy to do it," he said.

Speed insisted Waugh's rights had been respected at all times during the bribery affair that has spread to cricketers from the major Test playing nations.

"His rights will continue to be respected but we have to deal transparently with this issue," Speed said.

Waugh's manager Leo Karis said Waugh had always been willing to talk to the investigators if he was supplied with information on what they wanted to discuss.

"Mark's always been willing to talk. The ACB have finally provided the information he requested," Karis said.

Speed said he received a call from Waugh's solicitor early this morning giving an undertaking that he would attend an interview with the investigators next month.

Waugh, who has denied the allegations, trained with the team in Adelaide this morning for tomorrow's one-dayer after missing yesterday's session to hold meetings with his solicitors.