Former International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board for taking a "stubborn" stance when the 'spot-fixing' allegations first came out, saying it should have promptly suspended the tainted players.
Mani said the ICC had to take the decision of suspending Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir after the PCB insisted on playing them in the one-day series in England.
- The Match-fixing episode - II
"The PCB was stubborn after the spot-fixing and betting allegations came to surface and were adamant the players will play the one-day series even after they were named as suspects. The ICC could not tolerate this and suspended them," Mani said.
"It is unfortunate that the PCB did not realise the graveness of the situation when the allegations first came out. The PCB itself should have first suspended the players, but they did not. ICC had no choice but to step in," Mani told Radio Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) in an interview in Lahore.
"To keep the inquiry within its ambit and save itself from further embarrassment the PCB should have suspended the players and taken up its own investigation. Now because of its unprofessional and careless attitude the spot-fixing scandal is out of its control and neither does it have any control over players it pays handsomely," he added.
Mani pointed out that the PCB knew the ICC had the authority to suspend the players and also noted that the world body had got directly involved because of the poor track record of the PCB in disciplining and penalising its cricketers.
The former ICC chief said he fears that the careers of the three suspended players could end prematurely.
He said the ICC had been asking and reminding its member boards constantly to keep a watch on their players and educate them on how to avoid corruption in the game.
"Unfortunately, here also the PCB failed to do anything and the result is that Pakistan cricket might lose a outstanding young talent like Amir," he said.
