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Tarar blocked Qayyum investigation

Paran Balakrishnan

Pakistan president Rafiq Tarar blocked an investigation into the national cricket's team's performance during the 1999 World Cup.

President Tarar had ordered the Pakistani judge investigating match-fixing allegations to stop inquiries into the World Cup final against Australia and another match against Bangladesh.

"I was told not to investigate any World Cup matches," the investigating judge Malik Qayyum told The Sunday Telegraph.

Qayyum was about to start inquiries into the Group B match between Pakistan and the less-fancied Bangladesh when he received the president's written orders.

Pakistan lost by 62 runs to Bangladesh in the match played at Northampton, a result that surprised cricket fans.

Tarar is also the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and had the power to decide the scope of the judicial inquiry. Qayyum was initially given a carte blanche but in August 1999 it was altered.

"Initially, I was told I should look at match-fixing without restrictions. So I was going to look at that World Cup final and the game against Bangladesh. Then I was asked to withdraw. This was very unusual. Of course, I was surprised."

Pakistan were the heavy favourites for the Northampton match and some bookmakers were offering odds of 33-1 against Bangladesh winning.

Qayyum recommended that four players -- Wasim Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed, Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed -- should face penalties but the Pakistan Cricket Board has not acted on his suggestions. The contents of his report were recently leaked to the press.

Tarar did not give reasons for stopping the probe into the World Cup matches. His written order was delivered to Qayyum via the Ministry of Sport.

"He is the patron of the cricket board and once he takes the mandate back, I have no jurisdiction," Qayyum says.

Qayyum was appointed in 1998 to probe match-fixing. In August 1999 he was asked to expand the inquiry to cover the World Cup match. Three days later the president reversed these orders without giving any reason.

In a separate development, Indian sports promoter Ashim Khetarpal has denied that he offered English player Chris Lewis money to 'fix' a Test match.

"He is demeaning the English game. His claims are ridiculous," Khetarpal told The Sunday Times.

Khetarpal says he was organising players for a benefit match in India. He was introduced to Lewis by a friend who was a newsagent in London. Lewis has been interviewed by the English Cricket Board about his allegations.