Prabhakar ready to reveal names if given legal support

DUBAI, APRIL 19. Former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar has disputed Justice Y.V. Chandrachud's statement that he declined to reveal the names of Indian players involved in match-fixing and said he was ready to identify them if the government could provide him with legal support.

``I am willing to reveal the names of Indian cricketers involved in match-fixing if the government can provide me with legal support'', he told Gulf News in an interview.

Prabhakar said Justice Chandrachud, who conducted an inquiry into allegations of match-fixing against Indian cricketers, did not ask him to reveal the names of the players.

``Though I had stated that players are involved, Chandrachud did not bother to ask me for names. I was present at the inquiry with my lawyer and asked Chandrachud if he was recording my disclosures. Chandrachud said `no'. I could not understand why he did not want to record my revelations''.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), after the inquiry by the Chandrachud committee, dismissed Prabhakar's allegations as an outburst because of his non- inclusion in the team.

Asked if the Chandrachud inquiry was a whitewash conducted by the BCCI to hide the truth, Prabhakar said, ``I don't have to say it. Now the whole world is saying that and I have already seen many reports calling it a whitewash''.

Responding to Sports Minister S.S. Dhindsa's reported statement that the government was willing to provide him with legal support if he disclosed the names of the cricketers, Prabhakar said, ``I will reveal all the names. So far, I have only read the statement of the Minister in the newspapers. The government has not approached me with this offer''.

On Justice Chandrachud's statement that Indian players were not involved in match-fixing, Prabhakar laughed and said, ``how will there be any names when he did not even ask for?''

On whether he felt any of the matches in which he played were fixed, Prabhakar said, ``yes, I feel a Sharjah match in the early nineties was rigged. The match continued despite bad light. Even the street lights were on and the match continued in virtual darkness. I mentioned this in my inquiry''.

Reacting to recent developments surrounding cricket, he said, ``when I first pointed it out, people did not believe me. Many questioned my motives behind my statement. I had nothing to gain. I was doing it for my country. I repeat I will help my country in this but I should be provided with adequate protection by the Indian government. I am not going to give out names just based on statements by Ministers. I want them to approach me officially''.

- UNI

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Section  : Sport
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