SLC, PCB launch probe in umpiring fixing case

New Delhi/Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket and Pakistan Cricket Board today began investigations into the television sting operation which alleged that the umpires were willing to fix T20 matches.

The channel showed video clips purportedly taken by their undercover reporters in which the umpires were shown to be allegedly willing to give certain decisions in exchange for money. A SLC official said that they are studying the tapes of the sting operation. SLC chief executive Ajith Jayasekara said there has been no official communication from the ICC on allegations by India TV that Sri Lankans were among six international umpires willing to fix matches. He said the local anti-corruption unit will work with the ICC in the investigations. The channel showed video clips, purportedly taken by their undercover reporters in which the umpires were shown to be allegedly willing to give certain decisions in exchange for money. The six umpires, who are purportedly shown in the TV sting willing to fix matches, were Nadeem Ghauri and Anees Siddiqui of Pakistan, Nadir Shah of Bangladesh, and Gamini Dissanayake, Maurice Winston and Sagara Gallage of Sri Lanka. PCB also said it has launched investigations into the matter. "We are in contact with ICC and carrying out a detailed investigation into the matter. We have sought the details involved in the matter. For us it is just a TV report and it is too early to say anything," a PCB spokesman was quoted as saying. "The PCB maintains that we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any kind of corruption in cricket at any level," he said. The BCCI, on its part, said since no Indian umpire was involved it would wait for the ICC to complete its investigations. "The ICC has to take a call on it. They (ICC) will be taking appropriate action. As far as we are concerned we will take action as we deem fit," senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla said. "Our job is to keep the game clean. The BCCI takes strong and immediate action whenever such cases come up," he said. Nadeem Ghauri, one of the umpires allegedly involved in the case, said in Lahore that he was innocent. "I was approached by some TV channel from India who asked me to do an interview through Skype. They did ask me about the fixing stuff but I had nothing to say on the topic," Ghauri told reporters. "They asked me to come to India and be part of their TV shows but I said I would come only if they sponsored my visit, but we didn`t reach any agreement," he said. Gamini Dissanayaka, one of the Sri Lankan umpires involved in the case, outrightly rejected the accusation. "I reject all allegations. This is an attack on the entire Sri Lankan umpiring fraternity by an external force," Dissanayaka told reporters in Colombo. He said that he had already written to local cricket authorities and is open to thorough investigation in order to prove his innocence. Soon after the sting operation was beamed last night, the ICC said it would investigate the matter and asked the channel to give any information which can assist in the probe. "The ICC and its relevant members have been made aware of the allegations made by India TV this evening and calls on the station to turnover any information which can assist the ICC’s urgent investigations into this matter," the world body said in a statement. PTI