Waugh to face anti-corruption panel on Saturday

The questioning over the allegations made by the bookie contained in an Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report will come the day after the second match in the best-of-three tri series finals between Australia and the West Indies at the MCG.

The interview was agreed with Waugh’s legal representatives after they rejected the ACB’s request for a meeting in Sydney on Tuesday, saying it would interfere with his preparation for the opening finals match at the SCG on Wednesday.

In the CBI report, the bookamaker, who sometimes uses the alias "John", alleged he paid Waugh $20,000 for weather, pitch and team information sometime around 1992-93.

Waugh, 35, has admitted he was paid $4,000 by a bookie known to him as "John" in Sri Lanka in 1994 for pitch and weather information.

Waugh, along with teammate Shane Warne, was fined by the ACB in 1995 for that indiscretion, although the disciplinary action taken by the board was kept secret until 1998.

Waugh is expected to be named tomorrow in Australia’s touring side to play a three-Test series in India starting in Mumbai on February 27.

The head of the ICC anti-Corruption unit, Sir PaulCondon, is due to brief the ICC executive board on Saturday on investigations stemming from allegations made about a number of international cricketers in the CBI report which was made public late last year.

At least eight of cricket’s ten Test captains will meet in Melbourne on February 12 to discuss the future of the sport amid concern about corruption and match-fixing.

Australian captain Steve Waugh, a veteran of 132 Tests, will be the most senior of the team leaders. The discussions will be chaired by the Chief executive officer of ICC, Australia’s David Richards.

Only England captain Nasser Hussain and India’s Sourav Ganguly, who both face tough series shortly, appeared likely to miss the meeting.