 The match-fixing scandal gets deeper by the day. According to the latest reports that have emerged, there were two Pakistani cricketers who were issued notices
even before the current scandal broke out during the tour of England. According
to reports in a British newspaper, there were two cricketers from Pakistan's whose
suspicious activities in the Asia Cup before the start of the tour of England
had meant that the ICC had sent out notices to both.
The Daily Mail, a tabloid from England has named the two cricketers as Salman
Butt and Kamran Akmal, both of whom have come under the scanner of the
ICC for some time now. The ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit had been
tracking the duo closely even before the News of the World broke the story about
the involvement of Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif out.
It is also reported that even the Pakistan cricket board officials were informed
about the notices at the end of the first Test match between England and Pakistan.
What has been rather surprising in this whole affair is that the Pakistani
cricket board chairman, Ejaz Butt has yet to come out and make a statement
against the suspension of the three Pakistani cricketers, Salman Butt,
Amir and Mohammad Asif. And when asked to comment on the issue related to the
ICC notices, the manager of the Pakistani team, Yawar Saeed, said that he was
in no position to speak about it and said that the Pakistani chairman would
be the best person to do the talking.
The notice which was sent to the two Pakistani cricketers had said that they
had to respond to it within a couple of weeks. If the notice was indeed sent
after the first Test match, the period is far over, and it becomes an automatic
offence under the ICC's anti-corruption code.
And the bad news for these Pakistani cricketers is not only from the ICC or
the ACSU, but also from the Pakistani tax authorities, who have decided to investigate
the players' income. Pakistan's associate manager, Rana, expressed his pleasure
at the proposed investigation. Captain Shahid Afridi said, "It was
there in their (the government's) mind before we came over. I think it's a good
thing, it will open things out so they (the players) will be very careful."
Pakistan plays England in a five ODI series at the completion of the second
T20I.
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