NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

Akram, Malik, Ijaz formally charged with match-fixing

The Pakistani government's anti-corruption investigation has filed match-fixing charges against national cricket captain Wasim Akram and other players today, the official APP news agency said.

It said former captain Salim Malik and batsman Ijaz Ahmed were also charged "after match-fixing over the last six years", but gave no further details.

The accusations were made by the government's Ehtesab (accountability) Bureau, which has been probing corruption allegations against political figures in the government of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The trio was named as prime suspects by the Pakistan Cricket Board and a judge investigating charges of foul play over a period of several years. All three deny the charges.

Ehtesab officials said the bureau would now investigate allegations of wrongdoing by the national side during the World Cup final, in which Pakistan fell to a humiliating eight-wicket defeat to Australia.

The bureau will first gather evidence and then decide whether to proceed under the rules of conduct of the PCB or to obtain legal advice on starting criminal proceedings.

UNI