Ex-PCB chief calls for probe into Pak-India World Cup semifinal.The former head of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday called for an investigation into his countrys 2011 World Cup semi-final against India after a new book raised the possibility that the game was fixed.
Britains Daily Mail newspaper published excerpts of a book by sports-betting journalist Ed Hawkins in which he claimed an Indian bookmaker had accurately predicted what would happen in Pakistans innings against their arch-rivals.
Suspicions were raised at the time, particularly over Pakistans sloppy fielding; they dropped four catches from Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, allowing him to score a match-winning 85 runs.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the allegations in April 2011, saying there was no evidence to require an investigation into the match, but Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the PCB at the time, said there should be a probe.
My suggestion would be that the matter should be investigated, Butt told ARY news channel in Pakistan. There were a lot of allegations in Indian newspapers and even in Pakistani newspapers but there was no investigation, he added.Pakistan were in the thick of a fixing scandal a month before the semi-final when three of their top players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were handed long bans by the ICC for arranging no-balls to order during a Test against England in 2010.The PCB refused to give any official reaction to the allegations.
Britains Daily Mail newspaper published excerpts of a book by sports-betting journalist Ed Hawkins in which he claimed an Indian bookmaker had accurately predicted what would happen in Pakistans innings against their arch-rivals.
Suspicions were raised at the time, particularly over Pakistans sloppy fielding; they dropped four catches from Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, allowing him to score a match-winning 85 runs.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the allegations in April 2011, saying there was no evidence to require an investigation into the match, but Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the PCB at the time, said there should be a probe.
My suggestion would be that the matter should be investigated, Butt told ARY news channel in Pakistan. There were a lot of allegations in Indian newspapers and even in Pakistani newspapers but there was no investigation, he added.Pakistan were in the thick of a fixing scandal a month before the semi-final when three of their top players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were handed long bans by the ICC for arranging no-balls to order during a Test against England in 2010.The PCB refused to give any official reaction to the allegations.
