Match-fixing: will the ICC act tough now?
New Delhi: With serious doubts raised over the ability of the International Cricket Council to snuff out the problems blighting the game, world cricket's governing body is under pressure to exhibit a "zero-tolerance approach" while dealing with the Pakistani players involved in the match-fixing row.
Sources told CNN-IBN that ICC president Sharad Pawar, who had earlier on Monday ruled out any action until investigations were completed, was compelled to do some tough talking after the ECB communicated that English players had said that they will not like to take the field against 'tainted' players in the forthcoming one-day series. Within a couple of hours of this revelation, another media report from London said that the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board were considering suspending four of the players, including captain Salman Butt from the rest of the England tour.
The Pakistan team, meanwhile, travelled to Taunton for their practice game that starts on Thursday. The visitors are due to face England in two Twenty20 matches and then five ODI matches over the next three weeks.
Earlier on Monday, bookie Mazhar Majeed was let out on bail without being charged by Scotland Yard, even as reports emerged that he was orchestrating a wider match-fixing network and that 80 more international cricket matches will now be probed.
More skeletons tumbled out with reports also saying that the Sydney Test between Pakistan and Australia in January were also fixed.
Cricket Australia and captain Ricky Ponting were irked no end by the allegations and CA spokesman Peter Young even suggested while speaking to reporters that Australia may not support Pakistan cricket.
There was anger and disgust among former Pakistan players and administrators with legendary skipper Imran Khan asking for "exemplary punishment", while Rameez Raja said the players should be immediately withdrawn from the series and former President Pervez Musharraf calling the players' involvement nothing short of treason.
Meanwhile, Sam Peters of the The News of the World, the tabloid that exposed the racket, told CNN-IBN that they stood by their revelations and that more will be made soon.
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