World Cup '99 Probe body gets lukewarm response

The 1999 cricket World Cup probe committee of Justice Karamat Bhandari has received a lukewarm response as it completes the first 10 days of its appointment.

Officials said only one individual had responded to the requests the one-man commission made through newspapers.

"One Mohammad Ilyas from Gujrat has contacted the commission and offered to record his statement," officials said.

Ilyas, according to officials, watched all the games of the World Cup in which Pakistan finished losing finalists to Australia.

Ilyas is also said to be a one-time pal of disgraced Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmad before falling out with the duo. Salim, who was banned for life last year, played in the World Cup.

"Ilyas, according to our information, also has close contacts with some other players. Independent investigations against Ilyas reveal that he is expected to make some interesting revelations," sources said.

The inquiry is being conducted to probe allegations that Pakistan threw World Cup matches to Bangladesh and India.

Officials further said Justice Karamat Bhandari hasn't yet decided if he would summon players to record their statements.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already requested Justice Bhandari to postpone his investigations until the players complete the first half of their international assignments in November.