Eyebrows raised as Azhar146;s back in circulation

8216;8216;I am extremely disappointed to see Azharuddin commentating in the Asia Cup. There is zero tolerance for corruption in cricket and there should be no position in the game for a player who has been banned by his own cricket board,8217;8217; Mani said. 8216;8216;If he Azhar is deemed guilty 8212; and we have the BCCI8217;s word that he has been banned for life 8212; he should not be involved with the game in any way.8217;8217;

While the ICC8217;s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit in London are believed to have asked their regional managers to investigate Azharuddin8217;s accreditation, Niranjan S Virk, its observer for India and Sri Lanka, declined to comment on the issue when contacted by this paper.

Azhar8217;s accreditation would have been cleared by the Asian Cricket Council. Curiously, the ACC chairman is Jagmohan Dalmiya who, as chief of the BCCI, is involved in a lawsuit against Azhar. Dalmiya, it is believed, would have been aware that the concerned channel 8212; Aaj Tak 8212; had sought Azhar8217;s accreditation.

ICC spokesperson Jon Long said that as far as he was aware, accreditation for ACC-run events would be handled by the council and cleared by them. 8216;8216;We cannot stop a former player from working in any media capacity whether for print or electronic,8217;8217; Long said when contacted.