Players, officials seek early completion of CBI probe

MUMBAI, APRIL 28. Cricket fboard secretary Jaywant Lele on Friday called for an early completion of the CBI probe into allegations of betting and match-fixing in Indian cricket ordered by the Government and pledged full cooperation by the board to the Central Investigating Agency.

``It is good (the decision). We have no problem. We will give full cooperation to the agency. The earlier the probe is completed the better,'' Lele told PTI over phone from Baroda when contacted.

The BCCI secretary was among those who attended the meeting called by Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa in New Delhi on Thursday to elicit opinion from cricket administrators and players, past and present, on the raging controversy.

Kapil, Prabhakar welcome probe

Kapil Dev, the Indian team's coach and former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar welcomed the probe, ``It's good. The government should do it. Doodh Ka Doodh, Pani Ka Pani ho Jayega (the grain will be separated from the chaff),'' Kapil Dev said.

The former skipper, who had strongly reacted to allegations of wrongdoing against him by calling for a thorough probe and halting of all international fixtures by the Indian team said ``those guilty must be punished and those not guilty should not have doubts chasing them around. This air of suspicion should be removed once and for all.''

Prabhakar, who first raised allegations of match- fixing in 1996 when he claimed he was offered $25,000 by a teammate to play badly during the 1994 one-day tournament in Sri Lanka, said the probe ``will do good for the future of the game'' and assured full cooperation in the investigation.

Prabhakar, who met Dhindsa on Friday morning ahead of the announcement in Parliament, said now that the central agency has taken over ``none will dare spoil the interests of the country.''

``He (Dhindsa) promised he was going to do something when I met him in the morning and he has fulfilled it,'' Prabhakar said.

Asked whether he had revealed the name of the player who he claimed tried to bribe him, Prabhakar would only say ``I told him whatever I should tell him.''

Prabhakar, who has refused to name the player whom he claims tried to bribe him in 1994, said he will do it at the appropriate time. ``Whenever, I have to do it, I will do it.'' Asked whether he would cooperate with the CBI probe, Prabhakar said ``if they need my help, I am willing to give all details I have got. I am ready to help people who are willing to clean the system.''

Right move: Pataudi

Former India skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi welcomed the Government's decision and said the CBI probe was the right move as the issue had international ramifications. ``It is good an agency, which has experience in investigating something with international ramifications, has been given the job.''

``I don't think BCCI or ICC can carry out such an investigation,'' he said, adding that former players like him wanted such an investigation as only CBI can deal with other agencies like the Interpol.

But Pataudi, who was among those who attended the meeting of players and BCCI officials called by Dhindsa here on Thursday, urged that ``innocent people should not be harassed by CBI.''

Our Special Correspondent

from Calcutta adds:

The International Cricket Council (ICC) president, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya, hailed the government's decision to hand over the inquiry into match fixing allegations to Central Bureau of Investigation. Speaking to media persons here on Friday, Mr. Dalmiya said ``the decision to involve the CBI is most welcome since the agency has a good image. It is time that we clean up the image of the game,'' he said.

Dalmiya said that he had informed the Union sports minister on Thursday at New Delhi the need to involve a CBI probe. ``I had explained that the image of the game had taken a beating by the recent allegations of betting and match fixing. The public perception was that an inquiry by the CBI would be more authentic and transparent and therefore a probe by the agency could perhaps restore the game's glory,'' the ICC chief said.

He complimented the government's stance that not only the guilty should be punished, but the innocent should also be protected. He appealed to all possessing material information to come forward to assist the investigation.

Mr. Dalmiya said Prasar Bharati on Friday denied its association with Mr. Arun Agarwal, who on Thursday had claimed that Mr. Dalmiya had `defrauded' Doordarshan with regard to the television rights of the ICC knockout at Dhaka. ``I thank Prasar Bharati for its prompt response. My solicitors have been advised to proceed with criminal and other cases against Mr. Agarwal. This is necessary to unearth the truth and to find out the persons who are hiding behind Mr. Agarwal,'' he said.

He expressed surprise over the delay in South Africa naming a judge to probe the involvement of former captain Hansie Cronje in match fixing allegations. ``I hope SA will name the judge before the ICC meeting in London on May 2 and 3,'' he added.

Our Special Correspondent

from Chennai adds:

Mr. A.C.Muthiah, President, Board of Control for Cricket in India, welcomed the CBI enquiry and termed it as the right move, at least for three good reasons.

First, the enquiry will have to be seen to be thorough and unbiased as any findings from ICCI or BCCI are likely to be viewed as wanting in one respect or the other. Secondly, for the action that must follow to be effective, the agency must be vested with enough powers and legal sanction to make this effort meaningful. Thirdly, considering that all sorts of accusatiions are being circulated, often implying international ramifications, CBI enquiry may be table to enlist Interpol support which should make the enquiry a smooth operation.

Mr. Muthiah hoped the Minister would fix a time frame for the CBI soon as it would help bring the culprits to book and relieve the innocents sooner and also the get cloud over the issue resolved.

The President stated that ``at the end of it all, all that matters is that guilty should be found and punished and the game should regain the global reverance it enjoyed so far as a fine sport.

BCCI ex-chiefs welcome probe

In Mumbai, former BCCI presidents P.M. Rungta and Raj Singh Dungarpur as well as former captains Polly Umrigar and Ajit Wadekar welcomed the probe.

Rungta told PTI, ``I welcome it. We, in the board, will co- operate fully with the investigating agency. We welcome this probe so that once and for all the matter is settled and the veil is lifted on all these allegations.'' His successor to the top BCCI job, Dungarpur, said the government move was expected. ``It's a decision of the government. We will cooperate fully with it (CBI),'' he said.

``Yes, that's what was discussed in the meeting on Thursday, that there should be a time frame for the probe and it should not drag on and on,'' he said.

Umrigar and Wadekar, who have also served as selection committee chairmen, hailed the decision. Umrigar, also former BCCI executive secretary, said, ``let it get cleared once and for all by a proper investigating agency.''

``It's a good move especially for the fans who will be happy knowing that a proper agency is doing the job. Let them offer protection to people who are making these allegations and let us see how many come forward (to reveal names and offer proof),'' the former India all-rounder said. Wadekar also said the government move was on expected lines and added ``something concrete will come out. Yes, there should be a time-frame (for the probe to be completed).''

Justice Chandrachud mum

Former Chief Justice of India, Y.V. Chandrachud, who conducted the earlier probe into betting and match-fixing allegations in Indian cricket, refused to comment on the CBI investigation ordered by the government on Friday.

``I don't want to say anything. I want to keep away from this issue and I want to be consistent in my stand,'' he told PTI when contacted for his reaction in Mumbai.

Chandrachud, as the one-man commission instituted by the cricket board in 1997, absolved all players and administrators of any wrongdoing in the report submitted in November that year.

The 94-page report, made public recently almost after three years in cold storage, came in for widespread criticism and was described as `eyewash.'

In Vijayawada, the former vice-presidnet of the BCCI N. Venkata Rao welcomed the decision. When contacted by UNI, Mr. Rao, who was the BCCI vice-president for five years from 1993 and had toured with the Indian team to Sri Lanka, New Zealand and other countries, said such an inquiry was needed to uphold the image of the game.

He said ``this is a very good sign for the betterment of the sport.''

- PTI & UNI

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