Cricket chiefs to examine 82 Pakistan games

Dubai : The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is expected to closely examine 82 games involving Pakistan over the last three years.

Bookie Mazhar Majid is supposed to have been closely associated with some of the Pakistan cricketers for over three years and hence a decision is being taken to investigate all the matches.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail put out of picture of Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal driving a £130,000 sports car belonging to Majid, who was in the back seat.

The picture was taken outside the Pakistan team hotel on London in July. Investigation into the incident has revealed that Majid had taken some of the players to dinner in London and Leeds and he was regularly in talks with the players to get the contracts with leading county teams. He had also taken some of the players to a casino in Leeds. Majid also acts as agents for some of the leading county teams.

Investigators have also found out that Majid has piled up a four-figure bill on his mobile phone leading up to Pakistan's Test against England.

Pakistan's former leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmad, the England team's spin bowling coach, could come under scrutiny. The ICC had advised not to appoint him as he is alleged to have been involved in corruption in the past. Justice Qayyum had named Mushtaq in his match fixing report 10 years ago.

Defamation suit

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is trying their best to prove that their players are innocent. Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB legal adviser and K.K. Aghan, the Pakistan's Additional Attorney General are closely following the developments. They are also keen to file a defamation suit against the News of the World tabloid.

Reports in British newspapers suggested that £50,000 was recovered from Butt by police. But Rizvi, who is also representing Butt and his team-mates Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer, said this does not prove any wrongdoing.

"Majeed is their marketing agent and the money recovered from players could be paid on sponsorship deals and it doesn't prove a crime," he said.

"Players themselves appoint their agents, and once they make a deal they get good money in sponsorship and have regular meetings."