Match Fixing News

Pakistani cricketers deny match fixing charges

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) _ Three of Pakistan's top cricket players denied taking money to throw matches when they appeared Saturday before a judicial inquiry into allegations of match fixing. Leading batsmen Saeed Anwar and Inzamamul Haq and spin bowler Mushtaq Ahmed told the inquiry that they had no links with bookmakers. A judicial inquiry is being held into accusations that senior Pakistani cricketers, including two former captains, Wasim Akram and Saleem Malik, fixed matches. The accusations were levelled by some of their teammates and Australian cricketers. The trio have denied the charge. Anwar said he received two telephone calls from bookmakers who offered him bribes to play poorly during Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka in 1994. ``I refused the offer and reported it to the officials of the cricket board,'' he said. He also said the bookmakers warned him against disclosing the offer. Anwar said he also heard rumours that some cricket players had links with bookmakers, but he had no information on that. He also said Malik did not offer him a bribe. Ahmed, who denied being involved in match fixing, was warned by the judge: ``If you lie, your career will end.'' Haq contradicted earlier testimony by team manager Intikhab Alam that he had the players swear on the Koran _ the Muslim holy book _ that they would not throw the matches during a foreign tour. The judge ordered Haq to return to give more testimony on Nov. 11. Earlier this month Australian captain Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh appeared before the tribunal to record their statements. Waugh told the court he was offered thousands of dollars by Malik which he turned down.
 
 

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