Pakistan Cricket Board urged to investigate Akram Raza fiasco
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been urged by the country’s players and umpires to take charge of investigations regarding the involvement of former spinner, Akram Raza, in match-fixing after he was arrest by police in a raid on a betting den in Lahore.
Many believe that if the PCB fails to take action, then the International Cricket Council (ICC) might intervene and launch its own investigation.
Speaking on the matter, a former cricketer and currently the most qualified coach in the country, Haris http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 said, “This incident has brought a bad name for the country. It is better that the board itself sets up an inquiry team to probe Raza, as they might
explore several other things.”
However, a PCB official deemed it too soon for the PCB to take any sort of action against Akram who is among PCB’s elite panel of umpires. Speaking on the matter he said, “Nothing has been proved against him yet so we cannot say anything about his position
in the board. If he gets charged, then his fate will be decided.”
The tainted, former cricketer was among the six players fined by the PCB in 2000, for their involvement in match-fixing. The action was taken by the PCB, after an inquiry headed by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum into the allegation of possible involvement
of Pakistan players in match-fixing.
Akram who played for Pakistan from 1989 to 1995, spent the most part of his career under the captaincy of the middle-order batsman, Saleem Malik.
Malik was banned by the PCB from the sport for his involvement in match-fixing in the year 2000, in an effort to crack down on corruption in Pakistan cricket.
According to PCB insiders, the inclusion of Raza in the elite panel of umpires raised many questions, as it was a known fact within the PCB circles that the former cricketer was involved in taking bribes.
An umpire revealed that, Raza had links with high-ups in the PCB who left no stone unturned to continue Raza’s career as a domestic umpire. It has been learnt that many senior umpires were superseded to include Raza in the elite panel.
According to sources, the tainted umpire was among the group of Pakistan umpires interviewed for ICC’s International panel of umpires.
Speaking on the matter, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s runaway wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, praised the efforts of the government of Pakistan for carrying out raids on suspected hideouts of match-fixers in an effort to root out corruption from Pakistan cricket.
He believes that with the passage of time, many more will be exposed who are or have been linked with match-fixing.
Haider, once again insisted that fixing was rampant in Pakistan’s domestic cricket and it was a known fact that umpires play their role in making or breaking a match.
On Monday, however, Raza was let go on bail and now it remains to be seen whether there will be any further investigation of the suspected match-fixer or will he be allowed to continue his job as a domestic umpire, by the PCB.
Tags: