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Pakistan cricket team masseur was sent back from the ICC Champions Trophy after being accused of sexually harassing a female worker at the London hotel, where the players stayed during the event, a source has claimed.
According to details the masseur Malang Ali was sent back with the excuse that his wife was ill in Pakistan.
"The hotel management informed the Pakistani team officials that one of their female workers had lodged a complaint with them that she was sexually harassed by the masseur of the team," one source claimed.
"The team management than conducted a inquiry and found out that the allegations against Malang had substance and it was decided to send him back home immediately to avoid any legal complications and another embarrassing situation for Pakistan cricket," the source said.
The source said Malang after returning home was queried by PCB and removed from the job.
But PCB's media manager Nadeem Sarwar said that an inquiry had been conducted against the masseur on the issue and he had been transferred from the Board.
Interestingly, some five years back when the ICC Youth World Cup was held in Malaysia the same masseur had been accused of stealing cash and valuables from a player’s room.
"The irony was that even through the team management reported him to the Board on the basis of CCTV footage in the team hotel, Malang after a period of suspension was again back working with the national team because of his close ties with some players who have backed him to be with the team for a while now," the source said.
He said in many cases some senior players play an influential role in getting individuals of their liking to be posted with the national team.
Photograph: Nikhil Monteiro/Reuters