Asifs former girlfriend names Delhi-based photographer in scam,he denies

Asif used to call up this Indian bookmaker Dheeraj Dixit and other bookies as well on the phone of his servant. I have evidence of the messages he exchanged with the bookies, she said,showing a piece of paper that was apparently a log of the said messages.

On August 26,in the tenth over of day 1 of the Lords Test,Asif bowled the second of three no-balls that Majeed promised at specified points in the game to News of the Worlds undercover reporter to prove he could control the Pakistani players on-field actions.

Dixit,who is now in London,denied Maliks allegations. I dont know why my name is being dragged into this. I am a photojournalist who is covering this scandal. I have met Asif just once and thats all, he said over the phone.

Dixit said instead that it was Malik who had approached him with the claim that she managed seven Pakistani cricketers,and could strike a deal for fixing matches with their help.

The photographer,who is normally Delhi-based,is not associated with the mainstream media,and his byline is not widely known. He has,however,been a near-permanent fixture at international cricket matches across the world for the past 3-4 years.

Journalists and cricket officials who know Dixit,and have seen him on cricket grounds,have been surprised by the fact that he frequently chooses to follow teams other than India.

Generally freelance photographers follow the Indian team since those picture are the most in demand, said an old hand on the cricket circuit. But at a time when the Indian team was in Sri Lanka,he was in London,covering England vs Pakistan. Before that,he had been in New Zealand and Australia,where Pakistan were playing.

By way of explaining his presence in England rather than with the Indian team in Sri Lanka,Dixit said he has a home in London,and was,therefore,covering the Pakistan-England series.

Circuit regulars said Dixit appeared to have an easy familiarity with most foreign lands. He could arrange the best and cheapest accommodation,and always knew the influential men from the local Asian community who would readily welcome visiting Indians.

He was the man who knew where to get the best Indian food on tours abroad. He tended to boast that he was close to cricketers,and his hosts generally believed him. They thought that he would them close to the cricketers. It could be for anything,an autograph,a picture or a dinner invite, said one of Dixits old associates.