Pak cannot be cornered over match-fixing — Official

“Pakistan cannot be cornered or isolated because we made public our match-fixing inquiry and implemented penalties against the players,” Saeed told AFP on his return from an International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting in Kenya.

Relations between Pakistan’s Cricket Board and ICC have been under pressure amid rumours that the World body wanted to see tougher action against six Pakistani players suspected of match-fixing.

The players, including five eligible to play against England on their current tour of Pakistan, were fined as a result of an inquiry by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum earlier this year.

ICC this week announced that Lord Griffiths, chairman of the code of conduct commission, would recommend whether five Pakistani players — Wasim Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar and Waqar Younis — should face tougher punishments.

Griffiths is to secure “further confidential information” on Pakistan before producing his final report.

Saeed said no one should be in any doubt that “Pakistan’s stand is that corruption should be done away with.”

“Pakistan has also formed a one-man commission which assessed the assets of the players and they have been cleared,” he said.

“The King’s commission inquiry in South Africa is still inconclusive and the inquiry in India has yet to be made public. Why should Pakistan be targeted?

“The ICC code of conduct commission has now directed us to give Justice Qayyum’s recommendations and penalties in point form because of certain ambiguities and we will submit it in a week.”

Saeed also welcomed this week’s moves by England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Lord MacLaurin to play down reports that he wanted the five fined Pakistani players banned from the series against England, starting next week.

“What initially transpired was that MacLaurin demanded a ban on our players but it’s heartening that he clarified his comments,” Saeed said.

Saeed also said ICC had agreed to write to the Indian cricket board to urge it to go ahead with a planned tour to Pakistan later this year.

“ICC is set to finalise international itineraries for the next 10 years and has promised to write to India to ask it to honour commitments with Pakistan,” he said.