Imran asked to appear before panel

ISLAMABAD, September 27: The judicial probe into match-fixing allegations in Pakistan cricket has taken an interesting turn with the one-...

ISLAMABAD, September 27: The judicial probe into match-fixing allegations in Pakistan cricket has taken an interesting turn with the one-man commission deciding to invite some of the touring Australian team members besides former skipper Imran Khan amidst denial by leading Pakistani players that they were involved in any such act.

Some of the current Pakistan team members facing charges, including Salim Malik, have strongly denied involvement in their deposition before the Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum panel yesterday in Lahore, reports available here said.

Malik, who was first accused by Australian trio of Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May of offering them bribes to throw away the Karachi Test during their 1994 tour, denied before the commission all such allegations and asserted that during his captaincy Pakistan won maximum matches at home and abroad.

Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, one of the three main accused alongwith Malik and Ijaz Ahmed, are also scheduled to depose on October 3.

Malik hadrejected allegations that former PCB officials Arif Abbasi and Javed Burki had reprimanded him in the dressing room for match-fixing and alleged that 8220;somebody in the team had been spreading rumours about match-fixing which does not exist in reality8221;.

Middle-order bat Ijaz Ahmed too had denied before the panel any involvement in match-fixing and said probably his name was being included because he was Malik8217;s brother-in-law. But Ijaz was once warned by Justice Qayyum for making contradictory statements.

An interim report of the PCB probe committee released recently had indicted Malik, Ijaz and Akram and recommended their non-inclusion in the Pakistan team in future.

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Fast bowler Aaqib Javed had disclosed that four of the team members, including fast bowler, Waqar Younis, had received luxury cars as gifts and that one of his friend, Khalid Javed, had once confided in him that he knew some secrets about match-fixing. The commission has directed Aaqib Javed to ask his friend to appear beforeit.

Tainted8217; three in team: The three leading players caught up in Pakistan8217;s match-fixing scandal have been named in the squad for the first Test against Australia starting at Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Akram, Malik and Ijaz were named in a 18-man party which will be shortlisted to 14 on Wednesday after the wicket has been scrutinised.

8220;Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmad are there because we have not be directed by the PCB Pakistan Cricket Board to ignore them. Until we get definite instructions regarding the three, we will continue to consider them for selection,8221; chief selector Wasim Bari said.

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Aamir Sohail has been retained as captain for the three-Test series.

SQUAD FOR 1ST TEST

Aamir Sohail captain, Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Salim Malik, Yousuf Yohanna, Mohd Wasim, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohd Zahid, Mushtaq Ahmad, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohd Husain.