Karachi, October 6
Match-fixing has returned to haunt Pakistan cricket with the parliamentary committee on sports summoning PCB chief Ejaz Butt, captain Younus Khan and coach Intikhab Alam to seek explanation for the team’s Champions Trophy loss to Australia after allegations of deliberate underperformance.

A senior parliamentarian, who heads the national assembly standing committee on sports, has accused the team of deliberately losing to Australia in the Champions Trophy in a group match. Jamshed Khan Dasti said the standing committee would summon Butt, Younus and Alam shortly to explain the team’s performance in the Champions Trophy.

“There is evidence that the team lost the match to Australia on purpose. It underperformed. Then against New Zealand also there are signs the team didn’t want to win,” Dasti alleged. “We have been told by some respected and senior people and we are also trying to collect evidence that there might have been some hanky panky in the match against Australia and New Zealand,” Dasti claimed.

Pakistan’s last-ball defeat to Australia put India out of the Champions Trophy while their defeat to New Zealand in the semifinal came as a surprise to many. 

Facing allegations of match-fxing from a Parliamentarian, Pakistani cricketers got the much-needed backing of their Board, which said the players did their best in the Champions Trophy. The Chairman of the National Assembly's standing committee on sports has accused the team of deliberately under-performing against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

Talking to PTI, a board spokesman said the team had in fact done well to reach the semifinals of the tournament for the first time.

"The team played well and tried hard it is unfortunate they couldn't qualify for the final which every player wanted to do but they had one bad day against New Zealand," PCB General Manager (Media) Nadeem Sarwar said.

Jamshed Khan Dasti, who heads the NA standing committee on sports, caused a stir in Pakistan cricket last night when he alleged that Pakistan deliberately lost to Australia and New Zealand and that the captain, coach and chairman of the board would be summoned in next few days by the committee to explain the situation.

But Sarwar said so far the board had received no intimation from the government about the captain, coach and Chairman being required to appear before the committee. "As far as we are concerned, the team did well in the Champions Trophy and their performance was satisfactory," he said. — PTI

Jaipur, October 6
The tug of war in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) has intensified with a sessions court restraining the cricket body’s president Sanjay Dixit from interfering in the day-to-day activities of the association.

The court has also asked Dixit not to stop his rival group, led by Rajendra Singh Rathore and Giriraj Sanadya, from carrying out the functions of the RCA as per law. The court order is being seen as a major setback to Dixit, who was removed from the post of the RCA president by his rivals through a no-trust vote at the association’s AGM held on September 20. Rathore was elected as officiating president of the RCA while Sanadya was elected general secretary at the AGM. The court order came after Sanadya approached it with a plea that Dixit be restrained from functioning as the association president.

The court ordered that Dixit will not interfere in the daily functioning of the RCA till the dispute over the legality of the no-trust vote passed against him on September 20 is settled through arbitration. The court, however, was silent as to who will arbitrate over the dispute even as both the rival groups claimed that they had the right to appoint the arbitrator. Meanwhile, the court order has intensified the war between the two rival factions, as soon after it, Dixit appointed his close aide and RCA’s deputy president Shiv Charan Mali as the cricket body’s acting president.

However, the Rathore faction, which was dubbing the court order as its victory, claimed that Dixit had no right to hand over powers to anyone. When contacted, Dixit said, “I respect the court’s order. I have handed over the charge to my deputy president Shiv Charan Mali till the inquiry of arbitration. He is is the second highest authority after the president so he will control the RCA affairs.”

New Delhi/Bhopal, October 6
The blame game has started on who is responsible for PT Usha’s ill-treatment in Bhopal with Sports Minister MS Gill today giving a clean chit to the Sports Authority of India and the Madhya Pradesh government passing the buck to the SAI. Usha, who had come with her wards for the 49th National Open Athletics Championships, was so shocked with the sub-standard accommodation offered to her that the ‘Sprint Queen’ could not hold back tears.

“I felt insulted,” she sobbed, criticising the SAI officials for their apathy. A red-faced state government subsequently shifted her to a posh hotel and now a blame game has started on who is to be blamed for the fiasco. Sports Minister MS Gill said he was surprised as Usha blamed SAI for the episode even though the event was hosted by the state government.

“I have a special place for PT Usha. What I learn now is that she has come for the national athletics organised by the state government and their minister came on TV to apologise. If there was any drawback, it was on their part for whatever happened last night. The SAI centre, in any case, offered her accommodation, the best they had to offer, and gave a car to transport her. I’m not clear why she had to suddenly talk of the SAI centre,” Gill said.

“The Industry Minister of the state government took her to a hotel and said some mistakes had happened. They were good to apologise. It was surprising that SAI was dragged in the issue,” Gill added.

Madhya Pradesh Sports Minister Tukoji Rao Pawar regretted the incident and placed the blame at SAI’s door. “Since SAI was supposed to make all arrangements for her visit and there was no information to the state government about her programme, an unfortunate incident took place which is very saddening,” Pawar said.

“Had she or SAI informed us in advance I would have accorded her State Guest’s status in accordance with her stature by requesting Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” he said. Pawar said Usha was not happy with her accommodation.

“This morning I spoke to her and she said she is comfortable now,” he said. The sports fraternity, meanwhile, reacted with anger, demanding a probe into the episode. “It is a very sad incident. Not only me, the entire country felt sad when they saw PT Usha crying on TV. An inquiry should immediately be ordered into the incident,” legendary athlete Milkha Singh said.

Ace shooter Abhinav Bindra said it was not how a national athlete should be treated. “Sensitivity must be shown to athletes and former athletes who have put in lifetime of efforts to bring glory to the country. All they work for is little recognition and respect,” said the Beijing Olympic gold medallist shooter.

Another Olympic medallist Vijender Singh said all the athletes should come together and condemn it, for it may happen to others as well. “I think all the young sportspersons should stand up together and protest against it because today it happened with PT Usha, tomorrow it can happen with us,” the boxer said. — PTI