Bacher, Majid should furnish proof: PCB chief

KARACHI, JUNE 13. The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Lt. General Tauqir Zia, has said the inquiry into match-fixing allegations would not be reopened on the basis of statements made by the United Cricket Board of South Africa managing director, Dr. Ali Bacher, and former Pakistan skipper, Majid Khan, that two matches involving Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup were fixed.

Gen. Zia was quoted by The News as saying that Dr. Bacher and Majid Khan should furnish evidence to support their claims. ``This is really getting out of hand now... Making allegations without evidence. Dr. Bacher should now provide us with some evidence or at least take names of those players whom he knows to be involved in the alleged fixing of the World Cup matches,'' the paper quoted the PCB chief as saying.

``Unless he does this, we have no intention of reopening the inquiry,'' he added. During his deposition before the King Commission of Inquiry in Cape Town on Monday, Dr. Bacher said Majid Khan had told him that two World Cup matches - Pakistan- India and Pakistan-Bangladesh - were fixed. Majid Khan later confirmed Dr. Bacher's statement.

Pak. umpire to sue Bacher

Meanwhile, former Pakistani umpire Javed Akhtar, today vowed to take legal action against Dr. Bacher terming the latter's allegations on match-fixing baseless.

Akhtar was reacting to Dr. Bacher's statement yesterday that an Indian bookmaker identified as `Mr R' had told him that Akhtar was receiving money from other bookies when he made eight LBW decisions against South Africa in their decisive Test against England in 1998.

``It's insinuating. He must say who is Mr. R and his statement shows he is himself friendly with bookies,'' said Akhtar adding, ``the fact of the matter is that they (South Africa) were beaten by England in that Leeds test and that's hard to swallow for them.''

In Dhaka, the Bangladesh cricket board chief, Mr. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, today rejected the allegation that his national team's upset victory over Pakistan in last year's World Cup was fixed and asked former Pakistan captain Majid Khan to come up with evidence to substantiate his allegations.In Mumbai, Anshuman Gaekwad, India's coach at last year's World Cup, expressed disbelief at Dr. Bacher's claim that the match between his team and Pakistan had been ``fixed''. ``This is going on endlessly (match-fixing allegations). A says B had told him about this and B says C had told him. This is endless. When are we going to get first-hand information?'' he wondered when contacted for his reaction to Dr. Bacher's testimony.

``We all felt we had beaten Pakistan fair and square and there was a big celebration in our dressing room after the victory. Even Raj Singh Dungarpur (then BCCI president) was present,'' Gaekwad said.

- PTI, AFP

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