Prabhakar refuses to meet ICC team

NEW DELHI, DEC. 4. A three-member anti-corruption team from International Cricket Council (ICC) today sought an appointment with former cricketer Manoj Prabhakar, who was alleged to have introduced some foreign players to a bookie, but the request was turned down.

The three member team comprising Mr. Martin Hawkins, Mr. Alan Peacock and Mr. Robert Smanney, which arrived here last night called up Prabhakar this morning and sought an appointment.

``They telephoned me but I have turned down their request and told them to meet me alongwith Indian cricket board officials,'' Prabhakar told PTI.

``I am first answerable to the BCCI and not ICC,'' he said. The ICC team wants to question Prabhakar as he has been named by the CBI as the player, who introduced some foreign players to the bookie, Mukesh Gupta.

The 162-page CBI report on betting and match-fixing names former skippers Alec Stewart (England), Brian Lara (West Indies), Hansie Cronje (South Africa), Arjuna Ranatunga and Arvinda D'Silva (Sri Lanka), Martin Crowe (New Zealand) and Asif Iqbal and Salim Malik (Pakistan). Apart from the former skippers, the names of two more Australian players Mark Waugh and Dean Jones also figured in the Cbi report.

When contacted, Mr. Hawkins told PTI that they were here in connection with the match-fixing scandal but refused to give more details.

``We are here to meet the investigators and people who could throw more light on the entire gamut of match-fixing in the game,'' he said.

The team also met CBI officials in continuation of its probe into betting and match-fixing even as it proposed to meet some of the players named in the CBI report.

The ICC team members met the CBI officials headed by the joint director, Mr. R. N. Sawani, for nearly two hours.

This is the second visit of Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Peacock here eversince the CBI came out with its report naming five Indian cricketers and nine foreign players, who had either been offered bribe or taken money from the bookies.

During their earlier visit, the ICC team had sought statements of some persons questioned by the CBI. An unconfirmed reports said the ICC team also met Ajay Sharma.

Severe punishment will be `counter- productive'

At the same time, Mr. Kamal Morarka, a member of the BCCI disciplinary committee, is opposed to any penalty being imposed on the players accused of match-fixing and nexus with bookies which is ``disproportionate'' to the evidence found against them.

A day before the crucial committee meeting in Chennai to decide the quantum of punishment, Mr. Morarka said that before deciding the penalty for any erring player, the committee must weigh the fact that the punishment would have recourse to legal remedy if it was disproportionate.

``The board owes it to itself to see that there is fairness in its actions,'' said Mr. Morarka, who is also BCCI vice-president.

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