Madhavan to examine Chopra tomorrow

The match-fixing saga is not over yet. After submitting his report to the BCCI on five players Mohd. Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and Nayan Mongia and physio Ali Irani for their involvement in the scandal, the BCCI anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan will now examine former Indian coaches Ajit Wadekar and Kapil Dev apart from Indian offspinner Nikhil Chopra.

Talking to the media in Chennai on Monday, Madhavan said he would examine Chopra on Tuesday and would talk to Kapil Dev and Wadekar in about three weeks time. He said he wanted to finish Chopra's examination since he was a current player and so he told the BCCI that he would expediate matters in his case. He said he would submit his observations on Chopra within three days.

Madhavan who during the day had talks on the match fixing case with Sir Paul Condon, head of the ICC anti corruption unit described the meeting as "useful. We had a good exchange of views."

Asked why he was undertaking the exercise after Kapil Dev and Chopra had been cleared by the CBI, the former CBI joint director said the board has asked him to examine them for any further information on match-fixing allegations after its special general meeting in Calcutta on November 29. He said it was not in his brief to investigate the Ahmedabad Test between India and New Zealand last year in which there has been controversy surrounding India not enforcing the follow on.

Asked for his opinions on the punishment meted out to the players, Madhavan said "I was assigned to examine them and found them guilty. I have nothing to say on punishments". He added it was left to the players to make an appeal.

In a related development, the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) in Sharjah has appointed a three-member team led by former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd to probe the various match-fixing allegations levelled against the tournaments organised by them.

The CBFS convener Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, who presides over CBFS, said "the other members of the investigation team will include a lawyer and a senior police official from Sharjah but declined to reveal their names at the moment." Bukhatir said the panel was appointed as there had been "various allegations against our organisation but no one has substantiated this with evidence and we want them to prove their charges." He added "The allegations against Sharjah have been made from various quarters and even India's investigation agency, CBI named Sharjah in their matchfixing report. We know we are clean and therefore a probe by an independent panel."

Bukhatir also said that "This inquiry and investigation is not against anyone. It is being done to get the substance of all allegations relating to Sharjah as a cricket venue. Like everyone else we are also very curious to know the details."

On the time frame, the CBFS chairman said the probe would be completed in two months with the committee starting its work in the new year. He also said that there was no pressure from the ICC asking for a probe though he said "It is upto the panel to decide on any collaboration during their probe with the anti-corruption panel of the ICC."

The probe has been initiated following former BCCI chief IS Bindra's statement that some matches in Sharjah were fixed while the CBI in its report has quoted that a bookmaker has said that CBFS chief co-ordinator and former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal introduced Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya to a bookmaker named Anil Steel in Sharjah. This was however denied by the former Pakistan captain.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLCB) has sought the help of the Indian government following the refusal of the bookie Mukesh Gupta to cooperate with the Lankan match-fixing investigator Desmond Fernando in his investigation allegation against the Sri Lankan players Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga.

Fernando said "Having being informed that Mr Gupta has refused to speak with anyone on this issue, Mr Fernando will meet with India's minister of sports as well as the minister of law." He added that with the Lankan board giving him only a month's time to investigate the allegations contained in a report by the CBI, he had sought help from the Indian High Commission to arrange an interview with Gupta.

On a separate front, the income tax authorities are expected to submit their appraisal report on six players sometime this week while the CBI has said that it 'would not act in haste' to prosecute two of the five players under the prevention of corruption act.

The IT officials said the appraisal report on Kapil Dev, Ajay Sharma, Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar and Nikhil Chopra would be completed this week after which these players would have to submit their block returns to the taxmen for the period of 1990-2000. The report on Navjot Singh Sidhu would also be completed by this week at the Ludhiana Directorate and he would be also issued notice for submission of the block returns, the sources said, reports PTI.