By Raza Ruman
As the Pak Destiny earlier broke the story that Moin Khan and Waqar Younis had arranged the meeting of some of the players with the bookie mafia, the Pakistan Cricket Board today confirmed catching Moin red-handed in a Casino at Christ Church.
Moin was not alone there, Ahmed Shahzad, Umer Akmal and Nasir Jamshad were also with him to have negotiations with the bookies ahead of the all important West Indies match at Christ Church.
“Misbah-led team cannot proceed to next round if the management does not rid of suspected players,” an official of the PC commented. He said when some players are ready to ‘gift’ a match to the rival team how could the others save the match.
“Najam Sethi has ensured Moin and Waqar go along with team to get their target,” he said.
PCB: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought clarification from chief selector Moin Khan, on tour with the Pakistan World Cup squad, over his visit to a casino before the crucial match against the West Indies, PCB chairman Shahryar Khan said in a press conference in Lahore on Monday.
Moin served as Pakistan’s manager and chief selector before the World Cup but relinquished one post on the condition that he would be permitted to travel with the team. The move surprised many and his presence has reportedly become a bone of contention for the players and the team management.
Khan said the PCB would not jump to a conclusion on the issue before studying all the facts.
“We are looking at the facts and will make a judgement only after everything is clear. As the reports suggest he went to the casino before the West Indies match. I think it was rather inappropriate before a crucial game. But as I said, we will pass a judgement only after studying the facts,” Khan said.
Khan rubbished reports stating Moin would be summoned back to Pakistan over the incident and said the Board was fully behind the team.
“We are aware of all the criticism the team has been subjected to after their loses. But we just want the team to shake off negativity and perform without any pressure whatsoever. We fully support then.”
Khan also dismissed speculation that the team was divided into groups.
“I’ve spoken to Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, Moin Khan and even the team manager. Reports stating that there are rifts within the team are completely baseless. The team held a meeting today and everyone is rejuvenated after that session and completely united.”
Pakistan’s World Cup campaign was first rocked by allegations of unrest when reports claimed that fielding coach Grant Luden was involved in a heated row with senior players.
Two days prior to the big game against India., eight Pakistan players, including former captain Shahid Afridi and opener Ahmed Shehzad, were fined US $230 each after violating a curfew put in place by team manager Naveed Akram Cheema.
Cheema, a former military man, claimed the players arrived 45 minutes late after a night out in Sydney. – Pak Destiny