Don’t know if series can go ahead: Strauss

LONDON - England Test captain Andrew Strauss doubts if the series of five ODIs and two Twenty20s can be played amidst charges of match-fixing surrounding the Pakistan team.

The series of five ODIs and two Twenty20s was to get underway in Cardiff Sep 5, but Strauss said Sunday that he and his team needed to come to terms with the current issues before turning their attention to the rest of the tour.

“The game of cricket was in the news not just for the wrong reasons but the worst ones. At the moment the gloss is obviously taken off the win but in time we will remember the good things we’ve done. I don’t know if the one-day series can go ahead now but I think it’s important we let the dust settle and let the ICC, PCB and ECB need to sit down and work out what is best to do,” said Strauss after winning the Lord’s Test against Pakistan by an innings.

“Pretty tough day. We turned up knowing all we needed to do was to get the job done and finish things off but the atmosphere was very sombre out there,”

The joy was overshadowed by allegations in the News of the World of “spot-fixing” against members of the Pakistan team.

When asked if he was willing to play against a team that has been accused of spot-fixing, Strauss said: “It’s just so hard to say with incomplete information at this stage. From our point of view we are going to sit down and have a couple of drinks and celebrate the fact that we won the series tonight. And then in the next few days I’m sure a lot of things will become a lot clearer.”

Strauss said it is important to let the dust settle.

“They are explosive allegations that have affected the mood of the players. We are going to have to sit down and talk about it. There are also going to be lots of talks between the ICC (International Cricket Council), the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board). I wouldn’t like to pre-judge it.”

Strauss felt it was a shame that the 3-1 series win for England had to end amidst charges of deliberate underperformance by the Pakistan team.

“I can’t really speak too much about the specific circumstances but it is just a shame that the series has ended this way. We’re glad we’ve won but don’t feel too glad at the moment. We don’t know if it’s true or not but it’s not good that the game of the cricket is overshadowed in this way. With these sort of allegations, you start questioning stuff that you shouldn’t be questioning. We all want to know when we achieve something special that it has been done in the right circumstances,” he said.