** The Oval Test may have been fixed, fears Senator**
By our correspondent
KARACHI: The Senate’s Standing Committee on Sports added another controversial dimension to The Oval Test fiasco on Monday when one of its members voiced suspicion that the fateful match against England may have been fixed.
“On the fourth day of The Oval Test when Pakistan were in a strong position to win the match, one of the leading British bookmakers William Hill, were offering 14-1 odds for an upset. And when our team forfeited the match, it was awarded to England. In such circumstances, there is no reason why one should not fear the worst. Personally, I fear that there could have been an element of match-fixing involved,” claimed Senator Enver Baig, a member of the committee in an interview with ‘The News’ from Islamabad.
Baig, a staunch critic of national sports authorities, said that he voiced his concern at a meeting in Islamabad in which the committee members grilled Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Dr. Nasim Ashraf over the present cricket crisis in the country.
“I asked the PCB chief, who was present at The Oval, as to what happened there. I also asked him who was responsible for the forfeiture of that match. He said that it was (Pakistan captain) Inzamam-ul-Haq who refused to take the field because of ball tampering charges,” said Baig.
The outspoken Senator responded by saying that the PCB should have sacked Inzamam over indiscipline. “He (Inzamam) should have known the rules. He should have known that by not taking the field, he was not just bringing the game, but the entire nation into disrepute,” said Baig referring to an International Cricket Council (ICC) decision to ban Inzamam for four matches for bringing the game into disrepute. The ban came as a punishment for Inzamam’s role in a farcical end to The Oval Test.
**Baig claimed that another reason why he suspects foul play is that Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has a “suspect” background when it comes to match-fixing.“Woolmer was South Africa’s coach at the time when some members of that team including its former captain Hansie Cronje had dealings with book-makers. **He was at the helm of our team at The Oval which is why I have my doubts over the reasons behind forfeiting that match,” he said.
Baig said that Dr Ashraf has promised to carry out an inquiry into such fears. The PCB chief told the committee that Pakistan have already sent a strong-worded letter to the ICC in which they have sought strict action against Australian umpire Darrell Hair.
Pakistan see Hair as the chief villain behind The Oval episode as the umpire penalised their team for ball-tampering without any concrete proof. Ashraf said that it was that false charge which prompted the Pakistan team to protest.
Source: http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=30046
