/ 3 May 2000

IMRAN KHAN SLAMS ICC IMMUNITY PROPOSAL

PAKISTANI cricket legend Imran Khan on Wednesday criticised the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) proposals to offer immunity to international cricketers for coming clean about match-fixing. The former World Cup-winning captain told Britain’s TalkSport radio station: “These proposals are bizarre – I don’t know how anyone can come up with this idea. “It is all very well for the ICC to offer immunity, but what about individual national cricket boards and the law of the land?” Imran claimed he had never been offered money to influence the outcome of a game. He continued: “During my 21 years of playing cricket I was never approached by anyone or offered a bribe. “It seems to me that the people who were approached liked gambling. The bookies seemed to target people who might be susceptible.” He is unsure how many people might be involved in match fixing, and said: “I am now totally confused.” He added: “When this story first emerged I thought it was just a few games in Pakistan and maybe India. “I never thought that South Africa and Hansie Cronje were involved too — God knows how many people are involved.”