ICC rubbishes Pakistans match-fixing allegations

Match-fixing returned to haunt Pakistan cricket after the national teams semi-final defeat in the Champions Trophy.

The International Cricket Council on Wednesday rubbished match-fixing allegations against the Pakistan cricket team in the just-concluded Champions Trophy in South Africa.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat also gave a clean chit to Australian umpire Simon Taufel who was officiating the semi-final match between Pakistan and New Zealand.

It is not worthy of spending any energy on that. We are very comfortable with Simon Taufel, Lorgat told a television channel from Johannesburg. We are quite pleased with the way the game was played. It was played in great spirits. We all know the reputation of Simon Taufel, he added.

Match-fixing returned to haunt Pakistan cricket after the national teams semi-final defeat in the Champions Trophy with the Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports MNA Jamshed Dasti accusing the players of being involved in match-fixing. Dasti subsequently back-tracked saying he never accused the players of fixing matches.

A senior Sindh minister had accused India of influencing umpires to get Pakistan ousted from the Champions Trophy semi-final in South Africa. Muhammad Ali Shah,the minister for Sports and a member of the Pakistan Cricket Board governing council,suspected the role of Indian mafia in the sub-standard umpiring.

Dasti backtracks

Barely hours after his statement that Pakistan threw away their Champions Trophy match against Australia,chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports MNA Jamshed Dasti did a complete volte-face and said he never accused the side of involving in match-fixing. I never said the Pakistani players indulged in any match-fixing against Australia or New Zealand. What I was trying to say has been completely misunderstood by everyone,Dasti said on the Geo Super channel.