ICC investigators fail to contact bookmaker

International Cricket Council (ICC) investigators have left India for Pakistan after failing to contact the Indian bookmaker responsible for a series of corruption allegations.

A male member of Mukesh Gupta's family told Reuters in New Delhi the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) investigators had not met or spoken to Gupta at his south Delhi jewellery shop.

"Nobody met Mukesh," the man, who declined to be identified, said. "People kept coming but nobody has spoken to him. He is not available."

ACU head Paul Condon, has given Gupta until July 1 to substantiate allegations that he offered or paid money to nine non-Indian players including acting England captain Alex Stewart and former West Indies skipper Brian Lara.

A spokesman for the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said the ACU investigators arrived in New Delhi late on Wednesday and left on Thursday evening.

He said the investigators had been in touch with the CBI but declined to say if Gupta had been discussed.

Condon reaffirmed on Friday that the July 1 deadline remained in place.

"On Monday I confirmed that the Unit has given Mr Gupta until July 1 to agree to give evidence in respect of the non-Indian players named in the Indian CBI report," he said in a statement.

"Contrary to suggestions carried by a number of media sources since then, nothing has changed in respect of that position or deadline."

In addition to Stewart and Lara, Gupta named Australia's Mark Waugh and Dean Jones, former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje, former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga and his team mate Aravinda de Silva, and two other former national captains Salim Malik (Pakistan) and Martin Crowe (New Zealand).

Cronje, who sparked the match-fixing scandal last year when he admitted taking money for information from bookmakers, has been banned for life along with Malik and former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin.

Mail Cricket Editor