The CBI Report in Full -- Part 30
FOREIGN PLAYERS
In this section, the evidence that has come up during the CBI inquiry against players of other countries is discussed:
Sri Lanka: MK has stated that Aravinda D'Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga were introduced to him by Manoj Prabhakar. Manoj Prabhakar has denied this. However, MK has further stated that both Ranatunga and D'Silva had 'fixed' the Lucknow Test in 1994 between India-Sri Lanka.
He has added that he had paid a sum of $15,000 to D'Silva for 'doing' that match. He has further stated that Aravinda D'Silva had 'telephonically introduced' him to Martin Crowe in New Zealand sometime in 1991.
New Zealand: MK has stated that he met Martin Crowe in New Zealand, sometime in 1991, after being introduced by D'Silva. He has stated that he met Martin Crowe at his residence and Crowe's wife Simone was also present during the meeting.
MK has further stated that he paid a sum of $20,000 to Crowe to get information about the pitch, team composition, weather, etc. whenever the New Zealand team played. However, MK says that Crowe refused to fix any matches for him.
Australia : Mukesh Kumar Gupta has stated that he was introduced to Dean Jones by Manoj Prabhakar in Sri Lanka during a festival match. Manoj Prabhakar had denied this.
MK has further stated that he had offered a sum of $ 40,000 to Jones to provide him 'information' about the Australian team's strategy, morale, pitch conditions, weather, etc. whenever they played.
Jones refused the offer and told MK that Alan Border had seen him talking to MK and that if Border came to know of the link between the two, Jones' career would be in jeopardy. MK has also stated that he was introduced to Mark Waugh by Prabhakar during a six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong.
Prabhakar has accepted this fact. MK has further stated that he paid a sum of $20,000 to Mark Waugh to provide 'information' about pitch, weather, team strategy, morale etc. whenever Australia played.
England: MK has stated that Alec Stewart was introduced to him by Manoj Prabhakar in 1993. Prabhakar has also accepted this fact. MK discloses that he paid 5000 pounds to Alec Stewart in exchange for information about pitch, weather, team composition, etc. whenever England played. MK has further stated that Alec Stewart, however, refused to fix any matches for him.
West Indies: MK has stated that Prabhakar had tried to 'telephonically introduce' him to Gus Logie, who, however, refused to talk to MK. Prabhakar has confirmed this in his statement. MK discloses that Prabhakar introduced him to Brian Lara.
Prabhakar has accepted this in his statement. According to MK, he paid a sum of $40,000 to Brian Lara to under-perform in two one-dayers when West Indies toured India in 1994.
South Africa: MK has stated that he was introduced to Hansie Cronje by Mohd. Azharuddin in 1996 during the India-South Africa Test at Kanpur.
Azharuddin has also accepted this in his statement. MK has further stated that he paid a sum of $40,000 to Cronje on the third day of the Kanpur Test to ensure that South Africa lost and also as an 'investment' for future.
He has also stated that Cronje wanted to 'tie-up' the Mohinder Amarnath benefit match at Bombay with him, but informed him at around 3 a.m. on the day of the match that it would not be possible.
MK has further stated that he had got around $ 50,000 transferred to the bank account of Hansie Cronje in South Africa to 'fix' matches when India toured South Africa in 1996-97. He has, however, stated that most of the matches did not turn out as arranged with Cronje.
Pakistan : MK has stated that Salim Malik was introduced to him by Manoj Prabhakar at Delhi before a match between Wills Cup winners of Pakistan and Wills Cup winners of India. Prabhakar has accepted this in his statement.
The match MK is referring to was played between Habib Bank of Pakistan and Wills-XI of India on October 13, 1991 at Feroze Shah Kotla. MK has stated that he paid a sum of Rs 8 lakh to Salim Malik to fix that match without the knowledge of Javed Miandad who was captaining the Pakistani side.
MK has stated that he does not know who were the other players roped in by Malik. The match was won by Wills-XI India after a tight finish. The scores were: Habib Bank -- 232 for 4 in 45 overs, Salim Malik 32 (run out); Wills XI -- 236 for 8 in 44.3 overs.
MK has also stated that Salim Malik had given him the 'information' during Singer Cup, 1994 at Sri Lanka that Pakistan would lose a particular match against Australia in that series, which turned out to be correct. Rattan Mehta, a big time punter of Delhi, has stated that he is on very friendly terms with some Pakistani players including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-Ul-Haq.
He has also stated that he has on some occasions sought their 'judgement' on matches involving Pakistan. He further stated that he had given some 'small gifts' to Pakistan players on a few occasions.
Anil Steel, the bookie from Mumbai, has stated that he is on very friendly terms with Asif Iqbal, the former Pakistan captain. He has also stated that he has sought 'information' from Asif Iqbal about International matches and has also given him 'gifts' or jewellery items, etc.
Anil Steel has disclosed that he introduced MK to Asif Iqbal during the World Cup inaugural ceremony at Calcutta in 1996. MK has stated that Asif Iqbal had introduced him to Jayasuriya at Sharjah, sometime in 1996.
CBI has not conducted in-depth enquiry into the linkages of overseas players with Indian bookies/ punters. Foreign players have also not been examined to verify the evidence of Indian bookies/ punters. The evidence that has emerged during the enquiry till now against various Indian and foreign players has been discussed in detail.
However, certain other leads, which require verification have emerged during the enquiry and the enquiry will therefore continue. There is also a possibility of more evidence being unearthed with regard to some of the players against whom allegations of match-fixing and related malpractices are already established.
Some of the bookies/ punters examined by the CBI have hinted that malpractices have crept into the veterans' circuit as well. Enquiry will continue with regard to these aspects also.
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