Former Pakistan spinner under arrest over IPL bets

PAK NEWS

LAHORE, Pakistan: Former Pakistan Test spinner Akram Raza, fined in a match-fixing inquiry eleven years ago, was arrested more than betting on lucrative Indian league matches, police said Sunday.

The 46-year-old Raza, who played nine Tests and 49 one-day internationals for Pakistan, was one of seven men arrested from a hard Lahore shopping area when police raided a bunch of hooligans of bookmakers who were taking illegal bets on Indian Premier League (IPL) games.

“Seven men were in detention after a tip-off that they were taking bets on IPL matches, and one of them has been identified as Raza, a former Pakistan player,” a control officer at Gulberg police post, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

Police thought they recovered cell phone sets, computers, televisions and a large amount of money in the raid, and will charge the arrested men later Sunday.

Raza, who currently stands as umpire in Pakistan’s household matches, was one of six Pakistan players fined in a match-fixing inquiry conducted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum in 2000.

The former off-spinner was regarded as a close friend of former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, who was expelled for life by the Qayyum inquiry. Former paceman Ata-ur-Rehman was also handed a life ban.

Pakistan’s administration ordered the post-mortem after Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May accused Malik of offering them bribes during Australia’s tour to Pakistan in 1995.

Raza, who made his introduction in the same chain in which Indian master batsman Sachin Tendulkar started his Test profession in 1989 in Pakistan, was also piece of the team in that series against Australia.

Match-fixing has rocked Pakistan cricket since the accusations by the Australian trio.

Three Pakistani players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — were handed lengthy bans by the International Cricket Council in February this year over claims of spot-fixing in last year’s Lord’s Test against England.

The trio also faces criminal charges in United Kingdom, a hearing for which is scheduled for May 20.