Ind vs Pak: Furore in Pakistan as minister warns against fixing

 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik has always been something of a loose cannon when it comes to public statements. Even so, he took aback many by warning his country's cricket team on Monday against match-fixing, saying the government would closely scrutinize all players during their World Cup semifinal against India at Mohali. The statement was immediately criticized by former cricketers, including World Cup winning captain Imran Khan.

"I've warned them that there should be no match-fixing. I am keeping a close watch. If any such thing happens, we're going to take action," Malik told reporters in Karachi. He described the current team as comprising clean members but added, "It's necessary to monitor the players because we can't take any chances after the ICC banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer for spot fixing. We keep an eye on people who meet our players, with whom they talk to on telephone..."

Malik's statement left Pakistan's cricketers flabbergasted, with World Cup winning captain Imran Khan questioning Malik's English language skills. "I am more worried about Malik than the cricket team. For all who might know, Malik was absconding from justice until very recently," he said.

"The minister does not have a very good command of the English language so he must have meant something else. No one in the Pakistani team will even read that statement. They've better things to do."

Nevertheless, speaking on cricket and corruption, Khan said, "If one wants to stamp out corruption, the cricket boards and ICC must get more vigilant... Spot-fixing is very difficult to detect."

Another former Test player Zaheer Abbas rubbished Malik's remark, saying it was inappropriate. "Rather than boosting the morale of the players, the interior minister is trying to demoralize them," he said.

Former opener and now a commentator Aamir Sohail said, "The minister should have conveyed his message to the team personally rather than through the media. However, there are fears of match-fixing in the semifinal."

For good measure, Malik added, "They (cricketers) should concentrate on their practice and must go to bed early. They should ensure discipline and rise up according to their schedule. I advise them to dedicate themselves to the game for Pakistan."