Banned fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is believed to have diluted his claim of being offered money to underperform. It is learnt that he told the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, which was in Lahore last week to investigate his claim, that the offers were made to him before the ACSU was formed.
After being handed a five-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board for breaching its Code of Conduct, Akhtar told a television channel that he was approached by bookies to underperform in matches in South Africa and India. He said that in 2003 a person came to his room with money but he drove him away as he could not betray his team.
Sources said that when ACSU officer Alan Peacock met Akhtar last week to probe the allegation the bowler played safe by saying the offer was made in 1998-'99 and not 2003.
"He told Peacock that offers were made to him in 1998 and 1999, and he did not report it because there wasn't any anti-corruption unit then. The unit was established only in 2000 after the match-fixing scandal hit world cricket and several players were banned for their role in it.
"Shoaib said the offers came in 1998 and 1999 when he toured South Africa and India respectively," he added.
When Peacock reminded Akhtar that he had talked about an offer in 2003, the pacer said since he was upset with the ban, he might have got his dates and facts wrong.
The ICC Code of Conduct states that any player who fails to report any approach to fix matches to his captain, team manager, board or ACSU is liable to be banned for one to five years.
