Taylor, Mark Waugh firm on charges

8220;Mark Taylor informed justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum that he was told by his players that Salim Malik had offered them a bribe. Mark Waugh repeated the allegations he levelled against Salim Malik four year ago,8221; Fazli said.

8220;Salim Malik was also present during the testimony and was given the opportunity to cross-examine the accuser Mark Waugh,8221; Fazli added after the hearing in Lahore.

The PCB lawyer stated it was the end of the chapter 8220;and the text of the testimony will not be released. No more Australian players will be asked to appearbefore the judicial commission appointed by the Government.8221;

The Australian Cricket Board ACB had earlier refused to allow it8217;s players to appear before the judicial commission.

But after a summons was issued last week, ACB Chief Executive Speed Malcolm flew to Pakistan and held several meetings with his PCB counterparts before agreeing to allow his players to appear.

Besides Waugh, Shane Warne and Tim May had also accused Malik of offering them a bribe to throw the Karachi Test when Australia toured Pakistan four years ago. Pakistan eventually won the Test by one wicket.

Warne is not touring with the current Australian team as he is recovering from shoulder surgery. May has retired from international cricket.

8220;Mark Waugh basically repeated what he has also said in his 1995 affidavit,8221; Fazli stated.

The text of Waugh8217;s affidavit, which was written on April 1995 at Antigua during the tour of West Indies, was obtained by Reuters. It states: 8220;On the Australia tour of Pakistan in 1994, Iattended a presidential reception on the night before the One-Day International at Rawalpindi. I was standing with Shane Warne when I was approached by Salim Malik. Malik said he wanted to talk to me about my arranging four or five Australian players to perform below their best and lose the game the next day in return for US 200,000. He said he wanted to talk to me about it later.8221;

8220;Subsequently that same evening Malik spoke to me again. He said I could have the money at my hotel that night.8221;

8220;I thought about Malik8217;s offer and then told him I didn8217;t think it was a good idea. I told him Australians did not play their cricket that way; we play to win for the country all the time.8221;

When the accusations were investigated three years ago, Salim Malik told Justice retired Fakhruddin G Ebraheem that 8220;Mark Waugh had a grudge against him as he Mark Waugh had been dropped and he Malik was selected to play for the Essex team in the English County Championship8221;

Malik was exonerated of all charges byEbraheem who observed that the 8220;allegations against Salim Malik cannot be believed and appear to have been concocted for reasons best known to the accusers.8221;