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Dalmiya asks Prabhakar to tell BCCI all

Zakia Maryam in Calcutta

International Cricket Committee chairman Jagmohan Dalmiya today asked former Indian all-rounder Manoj Prabhakar to name those players whom he has long been accusing of having offered him Rs 2.5 million to throw a match.

Dalmiya made this statement while speaking to rediff.com at Calcutta airport soon after his arrival from Dhaka.

"Instead of revealing the names on a Web site, Prabhakar should disclose the names to BCCI officials. I will only act after the BCCI sends me its recommendations in this regard. I can promise you there will be no lackadaisical approach from us once his allegations are proved," he said.

Dalmiya was visibly perturbed by the fact that the Delhi police's shocking revelations had coincided with the ICC's Cricket Week in Dhaka. "It has caused irreparable damage to the game. It's not good for the image of cricket," he said.

Asked to comment on BCCI secretary J Y Lele's reported remarks that the Delhi police's revelations were "fabricated and lacked truth", Dalmiya said it must have been Lele's personal opinion.

"I don't know about what Mr Lele has said. As for me, I feel that all the accusations levelled against the South African players should be properly examined before reaching any conclusion. I can't comment on hearsay. I am neither against the indicted players nor what the Delhi police have revealed. It's a matter that needs to be minutely scrutinised," he said.

Dalmiya said that if the charges levelled against Hansie Cronje and three of his teammates were substantiated, the ICC would surely take the necessary steps. "In the meantime, if the law enforcers who are investigating the issue need our support, we will not disappoint them," Dalmiya said.

Interestingly, the current impasse has placed the ICC chief in an embarrassing predicament. Time and again, Dalmiya has reiterated his stand of rallying behind the players. So, one question that continues to bother cricket pundits is whether he will again come to the rescue of the troubled Proteas.

"I haven't changed my stance a bit as far as supporting the individual cricketer is concerned. You want me to change my attitude towards the players merely on somebody's accusations? True, whatever has happened is unfortunate, but that does not mean anything," he said.

Dalmiya was quite upset when asked if the ICC would take strong action against players finally convicted of fixing matches. "You are asking a hypothetical question. You come to me when this happens," he snapped.

Dalmiya, however, admitted that the controversy implicating Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Peter Strydom was bound to have serious ramifications on the diplomatic ties between India and South Africa.

Former Indian cricket captain and noted television commentator Ravi Shastri too expressed inability to comment on the row. When contacted at a five-star hotel in Calcutta, Shastri said his contract with an Internet sports magazine debars him from airing his opinions to other media.

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