PCB & Spot Fixing Cases

The newly appointed chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zaka Ashraf has landed himself in the first controversy that led the ruling body ICC to take him head on, on a very sensitive issue of talented yet reportedly suspected all-rounder Wahab Riaz’s inclusion in Pakistan team for the series against England.

The controversy arose from a statement of Chairman PCB Zaka Ashraf claiming Wahab Riaz was recalled in Pakistan team for the forthcoming series against England after ICC apparently gave the clearance that it had no proof of Wahab Raiz’s involvement in spot fixing.

This statement from Chairman PCB, prompted ICC to issue the following statement ” The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday denied an alleged statement made by the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board that the fast bowler Wahab Riaz was selected in the Pakistan squad for the series against England after clearance from the game’s governing body.

In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Mr Haroon Lorgat said: “I have said before and reiterate that the ICC has no part to play in the selection of any team. It remains the absolute right of a Member Board to decide which player it wishes to include in a squad or select in its team for any match.”

Mr Lorgat further added: “Only if a player has been charged and/or provisionally suspended by the ICC and/or banned by an independent tribunal, will he will not be cleared for selection. In all other circumstances, it is the Member Board’s absolute right to select players.”

This statement from ICC puts PCB in an embarrassing situation and it had to come out with a statement from it’s spokesman Nadeem Sarwar saying that,” The factual position is that in pursuing its zero tolerance policy towards corruption, PCB as a precautionary measure approached ICC’s anti corruption Unit regarding any such information on Wahab Riaz.

The ball is now in ICC’s court again if PCB has sought any information from ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit on Wahab Riaz or not. The new chairman PCB Zaka Ashraf, it seems, is following the foot steps of the former Chairman Ejaz Butt by publicly involving ICC in sensitive matters like spot fixing. One hopes that Mr. Zaka is well advised by his aides, that Mr. Ejaz Butt was perhaps not. One may recall, it was Ejaz Butt who, in a media conference had dropped a bomb shell by saying that ICC had provided match fixing proof against two players to PCB.

It may be recalled that during Pakistan team’s tour to England in 2010, Wahab Riaz was shown wearing a jacked handed by bookie Mazhar Majeed containing money. Moreover, Wahab Raiaz’s and Kamran Akmal’s name was mentioned time and again during the criminal proceedings in spot fixing case in London that led to the jail terms for Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Amir and Mazhar Majeed.

This was for this reason according to PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf that Wahab Riaz was kept out of Pakistan team for about 7 months and now he has been included in Pakistan team against England for a series to be played in UAE.

Well if this is the case, then PCB should come out clean on Kamran Akmal whether has also sought information about Kamran from ICC or not? Similarly, leg spinner Danish Kanaria has also been a victim of PCB’s rigid policy and has not been cleared for selection. The PCB has not yet come out with concrete evidence against Kanaria.

In order to avoid controversies and confusions, Mr. Zaka Ashraf should carry out clean and transparent policy . If ICC had not indicated any thing to PCB about Wahab Riaz, why was he kept out of Pakistan team for 7 months and why Kamran Akmal and Danish Kanaria are still out of Pakistan team. If ICC had not conveyed any thing to PCB , why did PCB chose to seek information from ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit?.

The appropriate way for PCB to deal the Wahab Riaz issue would have been or would be to carry out detailed investigation and grill Wahab Riaz that what the whole money filled jacket wearing incident was all about?. Had PCB done this, there would have been no need for PCB Chairman to seek information or clearance from ICC’s ACSU who in turn wasted no time to refute the PCB chairman’s statement referred above.

Now since PCB is setting up its own vigilance committee, it should thoroughly investigate the matter of other reported suspects of Pakistan team before it is too late. For this purpose, the PCB should also investigate and get to the roots of a reported telephonic conversation between the acting chief selector Muhammad Ilyas and the then CEO Salim Altaf who have named a few players allegedly involved in Match Fixing. This reported conversation is available on Youtube but first credibility of the conversation has to be established.

The Chairman PCB should get a detailed factual briefing from his office that who are the alleged suspects and what proofs are available against them. PCB should investigate them transparently and punish or acquit them on the basis of the investigation and not on the basis of suspicion.

What is surprising is that Chairman Zaka Ashraf, a few weeks back, in a reported media talk said that he will reveal Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal the reasons of their non selection in Pakistan cricket team and now it’s shocking how Wahab Riaz is back for England series. The PCB Chairman was also quoted by some media reports that some thing fishy was there in Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal cases. There may not be some concrete and hard evidence against some players but at times, the circumstantial evidence is so strong that some kinds of precautionary measures have to be taken. If Wahab Riaz, Danish Kanaria and for that matter Kamran Akmal are in same boat in terms of no proof from the relevant quarters, then they should also be considered for selection otherwise the factual reasons for their ouster from the team may should be made public so that these players can take legal course of action if they so desire.

One can not claim that corruption from the sport can be fully eradicated but keen vigilance and constant education about the menace can help minimize it.