Ashraf denies reports of bookie approaches to Afridi, Umar

The former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf on Sunday dismissed reports about bookmakers making approaches to Pakistani players, Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal during the one-day series played against England in the UAE in 2012.

Karachi: The former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf today dismissed reports about bookmakers making approaches to Pakistani players, Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal during the one-day series played against England in the UAE in 2012.

The claim was made in a British newspaper and also partially confirmed by the present board Chairman, Najam Sethi at a recent press conference. But Ashraf who is fighting a court battle to get himself reinstated as PCB chief said that he had no knowledge of an approach, to any Pakistani player, by bookies, during the series between Pakistan and England in the UAE in 2012. "No information was brought to my knowledge. I don`t think any such incident actually occurred there," Ashraf told a local television channel, News One TV. Pakistan whitewashed the English team in the Test series in 2012, followed by a crushing 4-0 defeat in the ODI series. Mohsin Khan, the head coach and an integral part of the Pakistan team management in 2012, declined to comment on the subject but Ashraf, who was present in UAE during that series, also urged the present management of the PCB to initiate a probe into the matter. "Why controversies arise mostly during Pakistan-England series? I think the PCB should hold a thorough inquiry into the latest allegation", concluded Ashraf. But interestingly while Ashraf expressed his ignorance about the UAE happenings another incident and a more worrying one that happened in his tenure has been highlighted by a cricket website, Pakistanpassion.Net. According to the site, Umar Akmal was also approached to under-perform in return for favors during the Hong Kong Sixes tournament in 2012 in Kowloon.