CBI unlikely to prosecute `four cricketers’ for fixing

Meanwhile, in Nairobi, a senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official informed that that four names could be released “as soon as Monday” but did not divulge whether the information would come from the CBI or from the BCCI. CBI Director RK Raghavan had also earlier hinted that some cricketers would be named in the CBI report. However, agency sources in Delhi said that the report is likely to be submitted to the Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa later this week.

The report would be an interim one as the investigating agency plans to continue with its probe in certain cases, the sources said.The report is likely to give a clean chit to Kapil Dev against the allegation levelled by former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar that the former Indian captain had offered him a bribe of Rs 25 lakh for under-performing in a One-Dayer against Pakistan during 1994’s Singer Cup.

The sources said that none of the persons named by Prabhakar in his statement had corroborated his version and even the video tapes, clandestinely shot by him, do not hold water in the court of law.They said Prabhakar had also been asked to undergo a lie-detector test, to which he had put several conditions in his reply to the agency including subjecting all other persons questioned so far to the same test. In an attempt to prove the authenticity of the videotapes of several cricketers and administrators, Prabhakar had urged the agency to gather voice samples of such people who have denied the statements made during the course of conversation with the former all-rounder.

Besides this, the sources said the reports would contain some suggestions for improving the functioning of Indian Cricket Board to guard against match-fixing in the future. The sources said the report was likely to suggest making mandatory a code for all players to declare all gifts received from abroad.

The report will also highlight certain instances when matches were fixed, pitches at the playgrounds were doctored and last minute changes were made in the team at the instances of bookies.

The sources denied some media reports that names of some foreign players would be included in the report. The sleuths have had some “hearsay” reference to some of foreign players but the agency has no jurisdiction to question them.

SA players irked DURBAN:
South African players have questioned the timing and manner of the announcement of life ban imposed on disgraced former captain Hansie Cronje, which came just before their ICC Knock-out tournament semi-final game against India in Nairobi on Friday.

“At the very least, it was a bloody aweful timing and it wasn’t relayed to us in the proper manner,” one player, who requested anonymity, said on the team’s return here on Sunday. Captain Shaun Pollock, who was the only player to speak on record, also questioned the timing of the announcement. “The timing was not perfect …. but we are playing so much cricket this summer that there probably wasn’t a perfect time for it. Hopefully, we can concentrate on cricket now,” he said.

However, South African cricket Chief Ali Bacher clarified there was no option but to go ahead with the announcement.