How the match-fixing drama unfolded - Part 8

Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa says that he is unhappy with the attitude of the Board of Control for Cricket in India towards the inquiry into the match fixing scandal. ``I had some reservations against the BCCI. They were not responding to our queries properly and their attitude was not positive. They were also adopting delaying tactics but they met me recently and assured me that in future they will co-operate with the Sports Ministry,'' Dhindsa tells a TV programme. He however denies that a tussle is on between his Ministry and the BCCI. ``My aim was not to interfere in the functioning of an autonomous body but when the scandal broke out the whole nation was outraged. Members cutting across party lines in Parliament demanded a thorough inquiry and so I had to order the CBI to look into the matter,'' says Dhindsa.

The CBI begins scrutiny of the documents seized by the IT authorities from the premises of cricketers, officials and bookies during a country wide search last month, according to agency sources. IT officials are also reported to be providing necessary assistance to them to verify some sensitive documents and whether they had any relevance to the match fixing controversy. Sources say that the CBI is closely examining the bank accounts of Mukesh Gupta, alleged by Hansie Cronje as the man who offered him money to throw a Test match at Kanpur in 1996.

The treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Kishore Rungta is re-examined by the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding the match fixing scandal. Rungta appears before the CBI for the second time to record his statement and also submit the BCCI's balance sheet. Speaking to reporters after being grilled by the agency's Special Crime Branch for nearly an hour, Rungta says that he had discussed general matters and exchanged information besides making certain clarifications. Rungta also clarifies that the fixed deposit receipts which were recovered from his residence during the raids belong to the BCCI.

Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa says the interim report of the CBI inquiry into the match fixing scandal is expected to be submitted by September. Speaking in Parliament, he says the CBI has been investigating the matter and has questioned many cricketers and BCCI officials, both past and present.

A disillusioned Kapil Dev says he is on the verge of severing all links with the game. ``If this is what I get for being a cricketer, I don't want to be part of it. Life has changed for me. I don't think I will have time for the game once I retire. Once I leave my post as the coach of the Indian team, I don't think I will ever come back to the cricket field,'' says the former Indian captain in New Delhi. Kapil, who is facing match fixing allegations and has had his home and offices raided by income tax officials, finds fault with the BCCI's role in match fixing. ``I think the board did not do its job properly,'' and adds that no board official had spoken or written to him since the IT raids. On demands for his resignation on moral grounds, he says ``Why should I resign just because my house was raided. By that yardstick, everyone who has been raided should step down.'' Maintaining that he is clean and he had nothing to hide, Kapil says ``it is the end of my days with cricket. It has not been worth the bother and trauma my family and I have gone through.''

South African cricketers Hershcelle Gibbs and Henry Williams plead guilty to accepting cash to under perform in a one day international match in India. The players make the confession while appearing before the UCBSA disciplinary commission probing the match fixing scandal involving former South African captain Hansie Cronje. ``They plead guilty to the charges,'' says Mike Fitzgerald, counsel for the two players. Both admit to accepting an offer of 15,00 dollars from Cronje before a match in Nagpur earlier this year. Gibbs is also charged with bringing the game into disrepute by lying to the UCBSA when he denied receiving any offer of financial reward after the scandal broke. Fitzgerald calls for a suspended sentence for his clients arguing that both had not carried out the plan to throw the match and were heavily influenced by Cronje.

Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa says the government is making concerted efforts for the extradition of former South African captain Hansie Cronje. ``We are in touch with the South African government and the Delhi police is making efforts for the extradition of Cronje to India,'' Dhindsa says in a TV programme.

The working committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India will discuss the statement of former Indian captain Kapil Dev criticising the board for not doing its job properly in the match fixing scandal. ``We will discuss it tomorrow,'' says BCCI president AC Muthiah in Bangalore. Kapil, who is also the current national coach had also criticised the Board of being unprofessional.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at its working committee meeting in Bangalore approves the code of conduct for players and officials. According to it, those found involved in betting and match-fixing could be banned for life. "The finalised code would come into effect from October 1," BCCI president AC Muthiah tells reporters. The code also makes it mandatory for players to disclose gifts received both in cash or kind if it exceeds Rs 50,000, within 15 days of its receipt. The code would be applicable to ``everybody", says Muthiah.

The three-man disciplinary committee of the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) confirms that Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams have been involved in match-fixing and will slap a penalty on them on August 28. The two players have admitted to accepting money to play below their potential while a third player Pieter Strydom had pleaded innocence. According to UCBSA sources,Gibbs is likely to be banned from international cricket for at least a year for his role in the Cronje match-fixing scandal, Williams is likely to be fined, while Strydom is expected to escape with a caution.

Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri, who is the only person to have corroborated Manoj Prabhakar's charge of offer of bribery against Kapil Dev, records his statement before the CBI in the match fixing scandal according to agency sources who add that Shastri deposed the agency's special crime branch and was questioned by them for nearly an hour. Shastri's deposition was needed as he had given an interview on a website which was clandestinely shot by former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar. Shastri had corroborated Prabhakar's claim that he had been briefed about Kapil Dev's alleged offer of a bribe of Rs 25 lakh to Prabhakar to under perform in a one dayer against Pakistan during a 1994 trianguler in Sri Lanka. Kapil Dev has denied Prabhakar's allegations.

Indian police say they have excellent evidence to back up charges of match fixing against Hansie Cronje but the inquiry is being held up by delays overseas although there is no deadline for prosecuting Cronje and three South African colleagues in an Indian court. Delhi Police joint commissioner KK Paul, who heads the Crime Branch department tells a news agency, ``the delay in our probe is in the invetigations abroad.'' Police sources say prosecution could only begin once the overseas probe being conducted by Interpol on behalf of the Indian police has been concluded. Some detectives accuse Interpol of delaying its investigations but Paul insists that the complexity of the case meant it would take time.

In South Africa, Gregory Abrahams, spokesman for Sports and Recreation Minister Ngconde Balfour says the King Commission's interim report on the Hansie Cronje match fixing scandal will be made public on August 25. ``We will post it on the government's website,'' he says. The report on Cronje's confessions of corruption was, on August 11, handed to Balfour who in turn gave it to president Thabo Mbeki to study before before it could be published. The UCBSA says it would hand a copy of the report to ICC president David Richards, who is currently in the country. It is also announced that the UCBSA will make public on Monday the disciplinary steps it will take against Hershcelle Gibbs, Henry Williams and Pieter Strydom, the three players implicated in corruption in the course of hearings into the scandal.

Hansie Cronje pleads that Herschelle Gibbs be given another chance to play international cricket. ``In my opinion Herschelle did nothing wrong,'' Cronje says in a TV interview. The 26-year-old Gibbs admitted before the King Commission that he accepted an offer of 15,000 dollars from Cronje to throw a match in Nagpur earlier this year. The opening batsman last weekend pleaded guilty before the UCBSA disciplinary committee to the allegations of match fixing and is now facing suspension from international cricket from what the media have speculated could range from one year to life. ``In my opinion Herschelle should be given another chance to play,'' says Cronje. ``On the day he played superbly. Surely if you were told to get less than 20 and then you get 73 off 53 balls, then obviously you did not pay attention to what was said. You entertained the thought, you were tempted but you never followed through.''

The Board of Control for Cricket in India submits to the Indian government a copy of the code of conduct for players and officials which imposes penalties varying from five years to life ban on those found guilty of match fixing. ``As promised, we have submitted the code of conduct report to the government after getting it passed in the working committee meeting,'' BCCI president AC Muthiah tells reporters after calling on Sports Minister SS Dhindsa to present the report. As for enforcing the code, Muthiah says the board has appointed former CBI joint director K Madhavan as the inquiry commissioner. ``If there is any breach of the code and it comes to the notice of the BCCI, Madhavan will look into it,'' says Muthiah.

The King Commission of inquiry into match fixing released in Johannesburg rejects former South African captain Hansie Cronje's contention that he was merely `spinning along' an Indian bookmaker.

In the 66-page report on public hearings into the scandal, retired judge Edwin King says it was apparent from Cronje's first meeting with bookmaker Sanjay Chawla early this year that the bookmaker wanted nothing less than for the captain ``to lose matches and to get other players to assist him in this. These facts are not readily reconcilable with the notion of Cronje spinning Sanjay along as he had repeatedly protested,'' the report says. King also notes his surprise that the first time Cronje was approached to fix a match ``he was prepared to and did entertain the suggestion.'' The report contains little new but chronicles Cronje's evidence and actions, including the trail of lies he embarked on to cover his tracks once rumours emerged in India in April that the South African captain was involved in match fixing. It also notes that he coerced opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs to lie to the UCBSA chief Ali Bacher. The King report makes no recommendations on Cronje's fate or that of his three teammates but the investigation into their conduct is far from over. The commission will resume its hearings on October 2 and King ends his report with the disclaimer that neither his interim report nor any aspect of the inquiry is complete.

Hansie Cronje voices his support for the handling of South Africa'a match fixing investigation. Cronje is asked in a TV interview for his views on Australians Shane Warne and Mark Waugh being allowed to continue their careers after being fined for supplying bookmakers with match related information in 1994. ``I think we have got to give credit to the way it is being handled here as opposed to in Australia. But I would rather have their punishment.'' he says.

Income Tax authorities conduct a raid on Indian off spinner Nikhil Chopra's South Delhi residence in connection with the on going probe into match fixing allegations. Chopra is present at the time of the raid. According to IT department sources, Chopra is searched by the authorities at the airport soon after his arrival from London. The latest raid is a continuation of the investigations started by the IT department on July 20, when they examined the premises and bank lockers of various officials and current and former cricketers. At the time of earlier raids, Chopra was among the three cricketers not present in India as he was away in London to participate in a benefit match.

Income tax authorities in India say they have opened almost all the lockers seized by them during their nationwide swoop on cricketers, bookies and administrators on July 20 and are assessing the recoveries made from them. Highly placed IT sources add that except for one locker in a remote area of Orissa belonging to a relative of an all rounder, all other lockers had been opened and the IT officials were preparing for an appraisal report. The sources say the players, administrators and bookies were being confronted with the seized cash and jewellery from these lockers and their statements were being recorded. Regarding the cross examination of national coach Kapil Dev (as is mandatory under the IT law) the sources say it will be done once the officials complete their homework.

Former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India IS Bindra says it will be wrong on the part of the board to gun for current Indian coach Kapil Dev. He blames the BCCI for the current situation. Kapil Dev had recently criticised the board's handling of the match fixing case.

Former South African captain Hansie Cronje provides his first public interpretations of the investigations against cricketers worldwide, including himself, in the last of a three part TV series broadcast nationally. In the process, he expresses support for former Indian captain Md Azharuddin, also accused of involvement in the scandal, and exonerated teammate Nicky Boje, one of the players named in telephonic discussions between Cronje and the bookmakers which Delhi police uncovered in April this year. ``I am absolutely convinced that Nicky has never been involved in any wrongdoing and I know that he has always given 100 percent,'' says Crone who adds he had never realised the consequences of his involvement with bookmakers until April when his legal advisers had told him about possible extradition to India and the Corruption Act in South Africa. ``I knew there would be consequences but I did not think it would go this far,'' he says. Commenting on allegations that Azharuddin had benefited by more than 15 million dollars during his career, Cronje says ``it is just speculation.'' Cronje also confirms that although he had declared at the King Commission of inquiry that he had cut all ties with representative cricket of his own accord, he could well come out of his self imposed retirement. ``I think it is up to the ICC and the UCBSA once they have heard from the commissioner what exactly the truth was.'' he says.

The UCBSA say that the three South African cricketers, implicated in the match fixing scandal will know their fate on Monday. The board has received recommendations from its legal tribunal on disciplinary action to be taken against Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Williams and Pieter Strydom and spokeswoman Bronwyn Wilkinson says the UCBSA would reveal their fate on Monday. Gibbs and Williams who admitted before the King Commission of inquiry into the scandal that they agreed to underperform against India in exchange for money can expect tough sentences according to news agency reports. The three players appeared before a UCBSA discplinary committee on August 19. Gibbs and Williams pleaded guilty to match fixing with Strydom maintaining his innocence.

The UCBSA bans Hershcelle Gibbs and Henry Williams from international cricket until December 31 for their role in the match fixing scandal. In addition, the two are fined for agreeing to a proposal by Hansie Cronje, then South Africa's captain, to underperform in the Nagpur one day match against India in March this year. Michael Kuper, a member of the three man UCBSA disciplinary committee says the sentences are designed to balance the interests of the players and the game. He says the penalty takes into account the influence Cronje had over the younger players and of the fact that they did not deliver the promised under performance and were never paid. A third player, Pieter Strydom, is acquitted of conspiring to bet on the outcome of the Centurion Park Test againt England in January. Gibbs is ordered to pay a 60,000 rand fine by October 31 while Williams is fined 10,000 rand.

In India, the Minister of Sports Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa says he has nothing new to say on l'affaire Kapil Dev since he had stated in public that the likes of Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin and the others whose homes and offices were searched by Income-Tax officials last month were morally bound to step down. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Dhindsa says "I have already made my views known in public and I have nothing new to add. I will leave the decision of who to select and who not to pick to the Indian Cricket Board.''

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jaywant Lele, in an interview to a TV channel, maintains that match-fixing is not possible in India. He says "I don't know about other countries but as far as India is concerned, match-fixing is not possible." He opines that the five most important names in the Indian team - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble - have not figured in the scandal. "If their names are not there, match-fixing cannot take place," says Lele. Asked about the alleged statements he made in the video tapes clandestinely shot by Manoj Prabhakar, Lele dismisses them saying "I did not tell him anything. He has made it all up himself. It's all unauthorised, unethical and not acceptable." Lele admits that the game has taken a beating after the match-fixing episode but the situation would change if the Indian team starts winning.

Former New Zealand great Sir Richard Hadlee launches a fiery attack on match fixing, terming it as an inexcusable crime. Hadlee, while giving away trophies at the prize distribution function of the Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai, says the game is going through a big crisis. ``We can never accept bribery and match fixing. The players, administrators as well as cricket lovers are the custodians of the game. It is our responsibility to guard the game against such scandals,'' he says. Hadlee urges the players, who listened to him in rapt attention, to ensure that they preserved the true values and spirit of the game in all their actions.

The Pakistan Cricket Board serves showcause notices on players against whom the Justice Qayyum commission had recommended action for not revealing the entire truth during the inquiry into match fixing allegations. PCB chairman Lt Gen Tauqir Zia says in a newspaper interview that the notices were issued after the PCB received a letter from the ICC code of conduct committee chairman Lord Griffiths inquring as to what action the PCB was taking against the players. The notices are issued to all the players except Salim Malik and they are asked to submit a reply if they intend to appeal against the fines recommended by the Qayyum Commission, Zia adds. The PCB chief says the fines would be recovered from the players before the ICC knock-out tournament in Nairobi next month. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam ul Haq, Saeed Anwar and Akram Raza are the players against whom Justice Qayyum had recommended fines ranging between Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 3,00,000.

The Sindh High Court summons eight Pakistani cricketers in connection with a citizen's petition calling for the players to be banned from the game and prosecuted over match fixing. The court orders Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam ul Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Ata ur Rehman and Akram Raza to appear before it on September 25. The petitioner Qadir Khan Mandokhel had said all the players should be banned from the game and prosecuted because the inquiry proved their involvement in match fixing.

In India, the CBI probe into match fixing and corruption in the game is likely to point fingers at several national and overseas cricketers according to official sources. The investigating agency will submit an interim report on the probe which is also likely to list corruption charges against two English and three Pakistani cricketers, according to sources. The report is to be submitted by the end of Septmeber and is likely to contain an exhaustive picture of corruption in the game.

The CBI questions the coach of the Indian team Kapil Dev on the allegations levelled against him by Manoj Prabhakar that the former Indian captain had offered him a bribe of Rs 25 lakh to under perform in a one day game against Pakistan in Colombo in 1994. Speaking to reporters after he was questioned for over 1-1/2 hours, Kapil says he is ``very happy and relieved. I will be able to sleep well tonight.'' A CBI spokesman later says that the investigation agency has completed the summoning of cricketers.

In Mumbai, CBI officials meet Sachin Tendulkar. There have been no accusations leveled against the Indian batsman so far and his opinions are sought on various matters peripheral to the matchfixing controversy. It is reported that he is asked whether any `outsiders' frequented the Indian dressing room during international matches. Tendulkar informs a news agency that he was met informally by RN Sawani (joint director of CBI's special crime branch) and Ganapathy. Tendulkar is asked for his opinions on the atmosphere in the dressing room, relationship between players and similar aspects. Tendulkar is quoted as saying "they also wanted to know my suggestions to bring improvements in the game."

In India, sources close to the CBI say that the investigative agency is likely to submit its interim report on match fixing on September 29. According to the sources, the report is being given final touches by sleuths of the special crime branch. They add the meeting that CBI officials had with former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai was a step in that direction. Officials say the informal chat with Tendulkar was an effort to tie some loose ends for the report. Meanwhile, detectives attached to the special crime branch examine Ajay Jadeja once again. Sources say that some queries needed his answers which were provided.

In India, Minister of State for Sports Shahnawaz Hussian sounds a warning while talking to reporters in Jamshedpur. "Many icons of Indian cricket could fall from the pedestal once the CBI wraps up its probe into betting and match-fixing in the game. Besides the super stars of the game, the CBI report, expected to be submitted by the month-end, is also likely to point an accusing finger at some other bigwigs associated with the game.''

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, speaking at a function in Mumbai, says the probable involvement of one or two persons in match fixing does not make the entire cricket fraternity corrupt. "Just as one corrupt policeman will not make the entire department corrupt and one corrupt journalist would not put the entire media into shame, one shady cricketer could not bring darkness into the world of cricket."

Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Jaywant Lele reiterates in Jamshedpur that match-fixing is not possible in India since "its leading cricketers" namely Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath "are honest." Talking to the media, Lele says "Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and J Srinath are free from any allegations and the Indian team is safe in their hands." Lele says the match-fixing issue has been entrusted to the CBI and till the submission of its final report, no comment could be made. However, any player found guilty of match-fixing will be banned for life.

The chief of Scotland Yard probing into the match fixing scandal in England says he will be "very surprised" if reports from India that two England players may be facing corruption charges turned out to be true. Detective Superintendent Steve Gwilliam tells the Sunday Telegraph "I now absolutely nothing about this at all. I'd be very surprised if this was true bearing in mind that we do talk to the Indians regularly." Only a few days back, a Sunday Telegraph report, quoting CBI sources, had stated that two England and three Pakistan players would be named in an interim report into the corruption to be submitted by the CBI at the end of this month.

Kapil Dev, who is at the centre of the match fixing and corruption inquiry, resigns as coach of the Indian team. Kapil's predecessor Anshuman Gaekwad is appointed in his place. ``Mr Kapil Dev has sent in his resignation today to Board president AC Muthiah,'' says JY Lele, secretary of the Board in Baroda. ``I spoke to Anshuman Gaekwad in Baroda and he has accepted, though reluctantly, to be the coach for an interim period lasting until October,'' says Lele. The BCCI secretary admits he is surprised by Kapil's action. ``We were not expecting it, especially after we sent him a letter asking him to proceed to Nairobi for the ICC Knock out tournament between October 3 and 15.'' Gaekwad is to leave on Wednesday for Chennai to take charge of the squad's conditioning camp set to commence on Thursday. Kapil is facing a government inquiry into corruption in cricket. His premises were also subjected to raids by income tax officials in July. But so far no formal charges have been made against him. The former Indian captain was accused by former teammate Manoj Prabhakar of offering him a bribe to perform badly in a one dayer against Pakistan in Colombo in 1994. Kapil always denied the charge and last month he said in an interview ``If this is what I get for being a cricketer, I don't want to be part of the game.'' In his letter of resignation to Muthiah, Kapil says he resigned to avoid leaving the Indian team in the lurch ahead of a tournament. ``I was waiting to be cleared by the investigating agencies before I gave in my resignation as I did not wish it to look like some kind of admission of any guilt. Even though I know that the investigation report will be submitted later this month unfortunately I cannot wait till that happens as the camp for the boys begins in two days and I would not like to start a job I will not finish.'' He said he would be happy if the Board did not in any way associate him with its future plans of events connected to cricket.

In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation director RK Raghavan tells reporters that the investigative agency is "burning midnight oil" to submit their preliminary report on match fixing at the earliest and adds that the CBI is on the verge of completing its preliminary investigations. The CBI director strongly hints that the report could name two Indian cricketers. Asked to comment on whether any Indian cricketers would be named, he says, "there may be one or two." However, he is cautious enough to add, "it will be dishonest on my part to say that I have come to that conclusion." Raghavan also says that the CBI would look at the findings of the King Commission for any corroborative evidence.

Indian and South African officials discuss investigations into the match fixing scandal at a meeting in New Delhi. Shamila Batohi, South Africa's chief prosecutor for the Edwin King Commission of inquiry meets New Delhi police chief Ajay Raj Sharma to discuss the status of the investigations in the two countries. Batohi later tells reporters that the meeting with Sharma was ``very positive, very good and very encouraging.'' Asked if she had requested the New Delhi police to hand over a taped conversation between Cronje and alleged bookie Sanjeev Chawla, Batohi says ``we are looking into the legality. We are sure it will be sorted out.'' Delhi joint commissioner of police KK Paul however says there are legal hurdles in handing over the tapes to the King Commission. He adds that New Delhi police has sought Batohi's help in securing voice samples of Cronje and South African bookmaker Hamid Banjo Cassim to authenticate the tapes.

Reports from Pakistan indicate that Shamila Batohi, currently in New Delhi for discussions with Indian officials, may visit Pakistan too next week in connection with the match fixing case. Batohi is expected to meet important officials and players involved with the Justice Qayyum commission investigating similar allegations in Pakistan, The News reports. She is also likely to meet officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum, who headed the one man investigation against match fixing cases in Pakistan. She is also expected to meet former Pakistan captains Rashid Latif and Salim Malik in an effort to get more information which might help the King Commission come out with a comprehensive report according to the newspaper. Former South African captain Hansie Cronje, in his deposition before the King Commission, had named Malik as one of the players he believed was involved in corruption.

Legal hurdles act as an dampener even as South African and Indian officials continue discussions on the match fixing scandal in New Delhi. Shamila Batohi, South Africa's chief prosecutor for the Edwin King Commission of inquiry meets Delhi Police Crime Branch officials for talks aimed at collecting key evidence against former South African captain Hansie Cronje. But officials say the initial rounds of talks are bogged down by legal formalities. Batohi hopes to take back copies of eight audio cassettes which allegedly contain Cronje's conversations with a London based Indian bookie Sanjeev Chawla during South Africa's tour of India earlier this year. Crime Branch detectives however express their inability to hand over the incriminating tapes to Batohi, who is accompanied by her deputy Jeff Edward. ``Since it is a criminal case, the court's persmission has to be obtained before the tapes are handed over,'' says Crime Branch Deputy Police Commissioner Pradeep Srivastava. Legal experts say that the South Africans have no alternative but to apply to the court in New Delhi for copies of the tapes.

Police officials in India indicate that Shamila Batohi, chief prosecutor for the Edwin King Commission of inquiry, is likely to return home without the vital tapes linking former South African captain Hansie Cronje to the match fixing scandal. Delhi police commissioner Ajay Raj Sharma says ``they will probably have to come back for the Cronje tapes'' while explaining how complex legal hurdles prevent him from handing over the incriminating tapes. Batohi was hoping to return home with copies of eight audio cassettes which are said to contain Cronje's conversations with a London based Indian bookie Sanjay Chawla during South Africa's tour of India earlier in the year. The police chief says the South African authorities will have to appeal to the Indian judiciary for copies of the tapes which have been sealed by the Delhi Police crime branch detectives as `court property.' Sharma said since Batohi and her deputy Jeff Edwards were scheduled to return home on Friday, it would not be possible for the pair to clear the legal procedures in just two days.

The chief prosecutor of the King Commission Shamila Batohi requests the Delhi police to authenticate the tapes. The transcripts contain conversations of former South African captain Hansie Cronje with an alleged bookie. Talking to reporters in the Indian capital, Batohi says "the tapes are in the custody of the court and it could be obtained only after completing certain legal formalities. But as of now, I have asked the Delhi police to authenticate the transcript of the taped conversation." Batohi also has a two hour long meeting with CBI director RK Raghavan and joint director RN Sawani and describes the talks as satisfactory. ``There was mutual exchange of information,'' she says.

In India, the CBI completes the report on its investigation into the match fixing scandal. Sources in the agency say the report will be sent to its legal department to find out whether the evidence collected would stand judicial scrutiny in prosecuting anyone interrogated by the agency. Questioned when the agency would prefer to submit its report to the Sports Ministry, the sources say it could be only in the first week of next month. The sources deny that the report is being delayed because the agency had asked former Indian player Manoj Prabhakar to take a lie detector test. It is learnt that the CBI has asked Prabhakar to appear for the test but it was not obligatory.

The South African authorities agree to give details of bank accounts and telephones calls of former South African captain Hansie Cronje to the Delhi Police to help in their investigation into the match fixing scandal. Shamila Batohi, chief prosecutor of South Africa's Edwin King Commission probing the match fixing scandal, gives an assurance in this regard to Delhi Police Commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma during their meeting in New Delhi. According to Sharma, the South Africans have agreed to hand over the details including those of bank accounts and telephone calls of Cronje, compiled as evidence by the King Commission.

Chief prosecutor of the King Commission Shamila Batohi leaves New Delhi after six days of discussions with Delhi police officials and Central Bureau of Investigation officials in the Indian capital. Before leaving, she promises to speed up the process in making available records, including that of former South African captain Hansie Cronje's voice samples and details of his financial transactions. Senior Delhi police official PK Srivastava confirms that Batohi gave an assurance that she would do her best to expedite the availability of these records to the Delhi police. Srivastava also says that during the discussions with Batohi, Delhi Police reiterated their request for details of Cronje's financial transactions as also the voice samples of the cricketer and South African bookmaker Hamid `Cassim' Banjo. Talking about Cronje and Cassim, Srivastava says that it is reliably learnt that Cronje had purchased a luxury villa at a fancy location at Fahrancourt in South Africa and that investigations show that Hamid had played a very important role in the match-fixing case.

Former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar agrees to a lie detector test on his claims that Kapil Dev had offered him a bribe to under perform in a one day game in 1994. Prabhakar's lawyer Nidesh Gupta confirms that Prabhakar has agreed to a request made by the CBI to undergo such a test. ``We have replied to CBI's request for a lie detector test and also put forward some suggestions before he agrees to undertake such a test,'' says Gupta. Reports quote Prabhakar as saying that he is prepared only if other players named by him as witnesses also face the test. ``I have no problem in undergoing a lie detector test but it would only be fair if others involved in the CBI inquiry are also called for the same test,'' reports quote Prabhakar as saying. CBI sources however say that such a test could be conducted only on Prabhakar. This is because all `witnesses' to Kapil Dev's alleged offer had not corroborated his statement.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram says he is considering an appeal against a fine for his alleged involvement in match fixing. ``I received a show cause from the Pakistan Cricket Board and will consult my lawyer Khwaja Tariq Rahim before appealing against the fine,'' Akram tells a news agency in Karachi. The star all rounder was fined and censured in the report on a match fixng probe released in May.

In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which was to have submitted its interim report on the match-fixing scandal by the end of September says it will now release it in the first week of October. Sources close to the agency say the report, which is likely to contain the names of some Indian players, will be submitted to the Sports Minister SS Dhindsa. Sources however deny media reports that the report contains names of some foreign players. The report is now with the investigation agency's legal cell which will give its opinion on whether the evidence in possession with the agency is sufficient enough to file a chargesheet against the players.

The CBI rejects former Indian all rounder Manoj Prabhakar's suggestion that players whom he named also be called to take the lie-detector test. The agency had earlier asked Prabhakar to undergo the test. Sources clarify that the CBI will not ask others who deposed before the agency to take the test but will ask only Prabhakar to undergo it.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram lodges an appeal with the Pakistan Cricket Board against a fine imposed on him after a judicial inquiry into match fixing allegations. ``We have given a reply to the show cause notice issued by the PCB and have appealed against the fine,'' Akram's lawyer Khwaja Tariq Rahim tells a news agency in karachi. The PCB had issued show cause notices to six leading cricketers last week regarding penalties imposed against them in line with Justice Malik Md Qayyum's inquiry report on match fixing. Akram was fined 300,000 rupees and also censured for his alleged role in match fixing. ``I hope the fine against Wasim will be withdrawn because he was exonerated by Justice Qayyum,'' says Rahim.

The King Commission of inquiry into corruption in South African cricket, which was due to resume its sitting today, is postponed to allow the state prosecutor Shamila Batohi to sift through evidence obtained during her recent visit to India. The Commission secretary John Bacon says that Batohi is due to have talks in Cape Town today, which are aimed at setting a date for the resumption of the inquiry. Bacon says it is hoped that the hearings would resume next week but concedes that logistical problems could lead to a further delay of about a week.

Pakistan team members sign a new contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board prior to their departure for Nairobi to participate in the ICC KnockOut tournament that lays down severe penaltites for match fixing. The PCB puts down all the clauses forwarded to all cricket boards by the ICC that makes it it binding on players and officials to immediately report any offer to throw a match as well as the person it is coming from. The contract also forbids players from mixing with any bookmaker or person associated with gambling or betting. The PCB stresses that if any player is found guilty of liaisoning with a bookmaker or gambler or of being involved in fixing a match, he would face immediate suspension and severe penalties which could include criminal investigation.

Former Australian coach Geoff Marsh says he will seek reassurances on match fiixng issues when he meets Indian cricket authorities later this month to discuss coaching their national team. Marsh is one of four candidates shortlisted to replace Kapil Dev who resigned last month amid match fixing allegations. Marsh said he would raise the issues of match fixing and bookmakers' access to the players' dressing room with the Indian officials. ``That's something I will be talking to them about because that is a problem,'' he says.

Reports from India indicate that the Central Bureau of Investigation's interim report, the submission of which has been delayed, will now be further delayed and will be handed over to the Union Sports Ministry only later this month. According to reports, the agency's legal department has okayed the report on the match fixing scandal and the officials are busy giving final touches to it. Sources say that the names of at least four Indian cricketers, against whom some evidence has been collected in regard to allegations of match fixing, are likely to be included in the report.

Australian skipper Steve Waugh says former South African captain Hansie Cronje has to accept his life ban over match fixing scandals. ``I think people are getting sick of it all but the good thing is the administration is doing something about it by giving punishment. He admitted he did a lot of things wrong and he has to take the punishment. It's sad for cricket and sad for himself but someone had to be made an example of because it has been going around for too long.'' Waugh describes Cronje as a ``good fella'' who could not resist the temptation of taking money from illegal bookies.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Gen. Tauqir Zia says Pakistan is under no outside pressure to investigate allegations of match fixing in last year's World Cup. ``The PCB has requested this new probe for its own satisfaction and to clear the players once and for all,'' Zia tells a news agency in Karachi. Denying the move was due to an any outside pressure, he says ``why should the ICC or for that matter anyone else put pressure on us? This is baseless. There have been allegations of match fiixng in Pakistan's surprise loss at the hands of Bangladesh and then against India, so why not clear all this for good?'' A spokesman for Pakistan president Md Rafiq Tarar, to whom the request for a judicial inquiry into match fixing allegations concerning the two matches has been made, says a decision on the board's request is expected next week. President Tarar is also a patron of the PCB.

The UCBSA passes a life ban on former South African captain Hansie Cronje who has admitted receiving money from bookmakers. The ban, which was widely expected, extends to all the UCBSA's related cricket activities as well as that of its affiliates, a UCBSA statement says. The resolution is passed by the UCBSA general council at a meeting here yesterday. According to the resolution, Cronje has seven days from yesterday to make representations to the general council regarding the resolution.

In India, the CBI says it has completed its report into the match fixing scandal and is likely to submit it to the government soon after the return of the Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa from abroad. Dhindsa, to whom the CBI has to submit the report, is away in the USA and is likely to return only after October 13. Sources say the report has been given clearance by the legal department. It is widely reported that four Indian players are believed to have been named in the report.

The ICC president Malcolm Gray says that the ICC supports the call by the Pakistan Cricket Board for a judicial inquiry into two World Cup matches played last year. ``If, from their point of view, this could rid the sport of corruption then we welcome it,'' Gray says at a press conference in Nairobi. ``We have asked them to put things in place,'' he says.

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan dismisses the idea of initiating an inquiry into alleged match fixing in two games played by Pakistan during the World Cup in England last year. ``Without evidence, it makes no sense to me and it will be an attempt to tinker with the players ahead of an important home series against England,'' Imran tells a news agency in Karachi. ``I don't subscribe to the view that Pakistan played any fixed matches,'' says Imran who worked as commentator during the tournament. South African cricket official Ali Bacher, in testimony before the King Commission in May had said Pakistan's two World Cup matches were fixed and said this information was passed to him by former PCB chief executive Majid Khan. But Imran says Bacher's credibility is doubtful because he has himself admitted he had befriended bookies.

In India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has collected `circumstantial evidence'' against four Indian cricketers in the match-fixing case but the agency is unlikely to seek their prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act as they are not public servants covered by it, according to agency sources. The evidence collected against them has already been whetted by the legal department of the agency. Declining to disclose their names, the sources say the evidence collected against them would be submitted to the government to take a final decision on the future course of action.

In Nairobi, a senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official says that the names of the four Indian cricketers could be released ``as soon as Monday'' but does not divulge whether the information will come from the CBI or from the BCCI. CBI Director RK Raghavan had earlier hinted that some cricketers would be named in the CBI report. However, agency sources in Delhi say that the report is likely to be submitted to the Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa later this week. The report will be an interim one as the investigating agency plans to continue with its probe in certain cases, according to the sources. The report is likely to give a clean chit to Kapil Dev against the allegation levelled by former all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar that the former Indian captain had offered him a bribe of Rs 25 lakh for under-performing in a One-Dayer against Pakistan in Colombo in 1994. The sources however deny media reports that the names of some foreign players would be included in the report.

Lord MacLaurin, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, says he will call for a ban on Pakistan's guilty cricketers including allrounder Wasim Akram until after the three-Test series against England ending on December 11. ``I'll be taking it up with Malcolm Gray, the ICC president,'' MacLaurin says after Gray indicated last week that the ICC would postpone further action to let the first England Test tour of Pakistan for 13 years to go ahead in the interests of international relations. ``It's ridiculous. If someone is under suspicion he should be removed from the game until his case is heard and his innocence proven. If an England player were involved that's what would happen,'' he says. Since the Qayyum report on match-fixing was published in May, Lord Griffiths has been reviewing the evidence as Chairman of the ICC's Code Of Conduct Commission to see if further action should be taken. According to a London newspaper report on Sunday, Griffiths has apparently concluded that more severe punishment are necessary and will tell the ICC board as much in Nairobi on Monday.

South African players question the timing and manner of the announcement of life ban imposed on former captain Hansie Cronje, which came just before their ICC Knock-out tournament semi-final against India in Nairobi on Friday. ``At the very least, it was bloody awful timing and it wasn't relayed to us in the proper manner,'' one player, who requested anonymity, says on the team's return in Durban on Sunday. Captain Shaun Pollock, who was the only player to speak on record, also questions the timing of the announcement. ``The timing was not perfect but we are playing so much cricket this summer that there probably wasn't a perfect time for it. Hopefully, we can concentrate on cricket now,'' he says. However, South African cricket chief Ali Bacher clarifies there was no option but to go ahead with the announcement.

Lawyers for former South African captain Hansie Cronje say they may sue the UCBSA following his life ban. The lawyers say they will give the UCBSA time till October 17 to withdraw its resolution to ban the sportsman from cricket for life or face possible legal action. Lawyer Leslie Sackstein says a letter to this effect has been forwarded to the UCBSA on Monday. ``We believe that the resolution has been unlawfully taken and our letter also invites the UCBSA to inform the ICC of our view,'' says Sackstein. He however declines to say on what basis the resolution has been viewed to be unlawful, claiming this is privileged information, but adds that should the UCBSA refuse, legal action would be contemplated.

The newly established ICC's anti-corruption unit will not interfere with the match fixing and bribery inquiries set up by its affiliates against players and officials, its chief Sir Paul Condon says in Nairobi. ``We will be supporting the criminal, judicial and conduct inquiries,'' says Condon, a former commissioner of the London metropolitan police after his unit, appointed in June, is endorsed at the start of a two day ICC board meeting in the Kenyan capital. Condon tells reporters that he had accepted to lead the fight against corruption in cricket after the board gave its total support to the unit, which will receive four million dollars in funding over the next year. His terms include making the unit totally independent and answerable to the ICC Code of Conduct commission, headed by former British judge Lord Griffiths. He announces that he would visit countries where investigations were underway to consult with their respective federations.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, himself under a cloud of suspicion, describes former South African captain Hansie Cronje as ``a brave man'' on the eve of an ICC meeting in Nairobi to discuss the match fixing scandal. ``He is a brave man. At least he admitted that he did something wrong,'' Akram tells a news agency. Asked whether Cronje had been treated unfairly compared with Australia's Shane Warne and Mark Waugh, Akram says, ``Yes, if you put it as a comparison, then definitely.''

Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa says the interim report on matchfixing, to be submitted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to him this week, will be tabled in Parliament next month. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Dhindsa said "the CBI's interim report on match-fixing in cricket will be tabled in Parliament during the winter session, beginning in November. Parliament witnessed an uproar over the match-fixing issue and hence the report would be tabled there during the session." To a question on whether any action would be initiated against those named in the report, Dhindsa said "let me first read the report. We will think of the future course of action only after that."

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram says calls for his ban over match fixing allegations are underhnaded attempts to distract the home side ahead of the Test series against England. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Gen Tauqir Zia also hits out at comments from ECB chairman Lord Maclaurin that the six Pakistan players, fined by the Justice Qayyum Commission should be banned from the upcoming Test series. ``I strongly condemn that all such calls are unneccesary and negative tactics before the all important series against England,'' Akram tells a news agency in Karachi. Zia, while hitting out at suggestions that the Qayyum inquiry did not go far enough, said ``we have cleared our image and there is no need for such a statement by Maclaurin. Let our players focus on the coming series.''

Former South African captain Hansie Cronje demands that he be allowed to practice as a columnist or broadcaster, notwithstanding the life ban imposed on him by the UCBSA. His lawyer Leslie Sackstein makes this demand on behalf of Cronje after calling on the UCBSA to lift the ban or face legal action. ``We cannot accept that Cronje can lose out as a cricket commentator in newspaper columns or television,'' says Sackstein. ``How can they suggest that people cannot have freedom of sppech. The UCBSA can deny him entry into grounds where they have control but they certainly cannot prevent him from working as a presenter in a studio.'' he says.