CBI to unveil match-fixing report September-end

An Indian federal probe into match-fixing and corruption in cricket is likely to point fingers at several national and overseas cricketers later this month, official sources said.

The probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is in addition to the bombshell corruption charges levelled in April by the Delhi Police against disgraced South African captain Hansie Cronje and three of his teammates. The CBI will submit an interim report on its probe, which is also likely to list corruption charges against two English and three Pakistani cricketers, a highly-placed source from the federal agency said.

"The report is to be submitted by September end and it will contain an exhaustive picture of corruption in the game," he said without disclosing the names of the players likely to be charged.

A CBI team recently visited Britain in connection with their investigations. "We have also zeroed down on some of our boys as well but since the interim report is under preparation it would be inappropriate to elaborate," the source added.

The comments came a day after CBI detectives summoned national coach Kapil Dev for questioning at its New Delhi headquarters and sent a two-member squad to Bombay for an "informal chat" with star Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Kapil Dev was the 16th Indian cricketer to be quizzed by the CBI since all-arounder Manoj Prabhakar in June accused Kapil of offering him 2.5 million rupees (57,000 dollars) to underperform in a match against Pakistan in 1994. Ravi Shashtri, another Indian player, collaborated Prabhakar's charges against Kapil Dev.

Kapil, who put his job on the line recently by saying Prabhakar's charges against him had blunted his enthusiasm for the game, said he felt relieved following his questioning by the CBI on Thursday.

"I have told them all they wanted to know and I will be able to sleep well tonight," Kapil Dev told reporters. Tendulkar, so far unscathed by the allegations of corruption, said in a statement faxed to newspapers from Bombay late Thursday night that the CBI detectives spoke to him on several subjects.

"During our meeting, they wanted to know about certain aspects of the game, for instance, relations between players, atmosphere in our dressing room, whether outsiders are permitted in our dressing room. "They also discussed with me the pluses and minuses of the game and suggestions to bring improvements in the game," Tendulkar said.

The Indian cricket board on Saturday dropped former captain Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja and Nikhil Chopra from a preliminary squad of 23 for a one-day tournament in Kenya in October.

The homes and banks of the three players were raided by inland revenue detectives in July as part of a nationwide operation to unearth undeclared wealth by cricket players and officials. Cronje has also accused Azharuddin of introducing him to a bookie during one of his trips to South Africa.

The omission of Azharuddin, Jadeja and Chopra was expected after sports minister Sukhdev Dhindsa urged that players under investigation should be dropped till they are proved innocent.

Azharuddin, the most experienced one-day player in the world, has made just one half-century in 11 matches this year. Jadeja has two half-centuries in as many games, while off-spinner Chopra managed just three wickets in four matches.

Mail Cricket Editor