OWN CORRESPONDENT, London | Thursday 2.15pm
ENGLAND cricket chief Lord MacLaurin believes the outcome of the Pakistani match-fixing inquiry reveals just the ”tip of the iceberg”.
Former captain Salim Malik and former Test bowler Ata-ur-Rehman were banned for life on Wednesday by the Pakistan Cricket Board, acting after the release of a long-awaited judicial report on corruption allegations in the Pakistan game.
”I don’t like to say this really but I think this might be just the tip of the iceberg,” the England and Wales Cricket Board boss told BBC radio on Thursday.
”I believe there are other problems which we have to unearth. I do know there are a number of investigative journalists looking at this problem throughout the world. I know police forces are looking at it.”
He added: ”Although we have had this result so far, watch this space because this is not the end of it.”
Six other cricketers, including former captain Wasim Akram, were fined either for bringing the game into disrepute or failing to cooperate with the inquiry.
MacLaurin said it is possible that the International Cricket Council can intervene further in the Pakistan cases.
”I think the ICC have the authority to ask the parent board to look again at the fines or suspensions that they are going to impose,” he said.
”If they are not satisfied they would ask a third party to look at it, so this is by no means an open and shut case.”
Asked if he thought it was administrators or just players involved, he added: ”I’m uneasy. I have a feeling that it can be both. It could be a mafia-type organisation and the players are just pawns in this.
”These findings are coming out and I’m very pleased indeed they are coming out. We have to pursue it to the end to clean the game.” — Reuters