Pak chief selector refutes allegations of bookie’s presence in team hotel
By ANITuesday, January 11, 2011
LAHORE - Pakistan’s chief selector Mohsin Khan has denied allegations that a national selector was aware of the spot-fixing deals between tainted cricketers and bookie Mazhar Majeed during Pakistan’s tour of England last year.
“As far as I know, no selector was aware about the bookie’s presence in the players’ rooms,” the Nation quoted Khan, as saying.
Khan, however, agreed that all five national selectors were on duty on the controversial England tour at different times.
It comes after former security manager, Major (retired) Khawaja Javed Najam’s testimony (via teleconference) before the International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal in Doha revealed that he saw one selector being present in the players’ hotel when Majeed approached the players.
“I don’t want to reveal the name of the selector in public. I have already revealed the identity of the selector to the ICC,” the security manager said.
Majeed, who was arrested in London last year on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers, reportedly has links to seven players of the Pakistani team.
Mazhar and his brother Azhar Majeed were recognized figures on the international and domestic cricket circuit, and claimed to act as agents for seven players, including former captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
Butt, Asif and Amir were provisionally suspended by the ICC following allegations that they had all conspired in the bowling of deliberate no-balls as part of a spot-fixing scam during the fourth Test against England at Lord’s in August. (ANI)
