Rashid to tell all

[Donny]

Pakistani to tell all

By Jon Pierik- Fox


ANTI-CORRUPTION crusader Rashid Latif has defended Shane Warne and has promised to crack open cricket's match-fixing scandal in a tell-all book later this year.


The former Pakistani captain says he will release the names of players, officials and matches he feels have been involved in match-fixing.

And Latif told The Daily Telegraph from his home in Karachi last night that some of these fixed matches may involve Australia.

Asked for specific matches and players involved in this, former wicketkeeper Latif said: "So many matches, so many players, so many officials, don't worry about it."

Asked whether Australia had been involved, he replied: "I will reveal in September in my book."

Latif, who took a stand against corruption in the Pakistan team and even retired in protest at one point, has also suggested the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and security unit start looking at countries, bookmakers and players away from the subcontinent if it wants to find evidence of corruption in cricket.

"I think the ACU and ICC is only looking on the subcontinent and subcontinent countries," Latif said.

"Australia, England, West Indies, they should look there."

Asked why the ASCU should look elsewhere, Latif said: "I will write in my book, that comes out in September."

But he came to the defence of Warne, saying the champion leg-spinner would not have been involved with Delhi-based punter Ratan Mehta.

Warne was allegedly seen leaving a pizza restaurant with Mehta and West Indian Brian Lara during the 1999 World Cup.

Warne has denied this.

"I don't think he is involved in match-fixing, he is great player," Latif said.

"I don't think Shane Warne was involved with Ratan Mehta."

And while the ACSU unit may have helped to curtail match-fixing in recent times, Latif claims "fancy-fixing" has taken over as cricket's blackmark.

Fancy-fixing involves the shaping of minor elements of a match without necessarily affecting the result or attracting the attention of the game's corruption police.

Latif said one area of prime concern was betting on how many runs a team would score off the first 15 overs of a one-day match when only two men are permitted in the outfield.

"Nowadays not match-fixing, only fancy-fixing is going on all over the world, all over the place," he said.

Mehta is at the centre of allegations raised in India's Outlook magazine where, through testimony provided by an unknown Delhi businessman, he has been accused of "arranging the underperformance" of Pakistani players, including Wasim Akram, during the 1999 World Cup.

The ASCU is currently investigating claims that former Pakistan captain Akram was involved in fixing his side's Super Six loss to India.

Akram has denied the claims.

Latif suggested Akram was being targeted because the ASCU had yet to name anyone for match-fixing since it was established in 2000 in the wake of the Hansie Cronje scandal.

[Donny]

Mmmm. Pre publicity to sell a book ? Or real dynamite ?

Time will tell. Could be very interesting.