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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Kambli puts BCCI and Sports ministry at loggerheads

New Delhi: Sports minister Ajay Maken wants the match-fixing claims made by former cricketer Vinod Kambli investigated by the BCCI and says his Ministry might step in if the cricket board doesn’t order a probe.
But even though might have called for a probe, a defiant BCCI said it would not give any importance to the former cricketer’s allegations.
Kambli has created quite a flutter by claiming that something was “amiss” in India’s loss in the 1996 World Cup semifinal against Sri Lanka and Maken said the claim should be investigated by the BCCI or else his ministry might order a probe.
But, senior cricket board official Rajiv Shukla said Kambli’s claims are not worth investigating.
BCCI
The Sports Ministry also wants the BCCI to come under the ambit of the RTI. Reuters
“We are not giving any importance to the claims made by Kambli. If a person wakes up after 15 years and makes some allegations, that is not worth taking note of,” Shukla told reporters.
Shukla, the chairman of the IPL governing council, said the BCCI has acted tough on corrupt cricketers and has never forgiven such players.
“Many of the Boards have forgiven players after they were found to be involved in corrupt practices but BCCI has never forgiven such players,” he said.
Kambli has created quite a flutter by claiming that something was “amiss” in India’s loss in the 1996 World Cup semifinal against Sri Lanka and Maken said the claim should be investigated for all its worth.
“When a player of the team has made a charge, it should be thoroughly investigated. People of the country have the right to know what exactly happened. Whether the accusations made by the player are true or false, the people have the right to know,” Maken said on the sidelines of an NSS felicitation ceremony here.
The minister said if the BCCI doesn’t act, the sports ministry might conduct an inquiry of its own.
“We will see. As you know, the BCCI has not come to the Sports Ministry for any recognition so far but I would want, whatever agency is there, BCCI should order a probe into it. If the BCCI doesn’t conduct a probe, we will look at it,” he said.
ICC President Sharad Pawar entered the discussions, saying he would rather believe in what players like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have to say on the matter.
“I honestly feel that his allegations are irresponsible statements,” Pawar said on a day when a defiant BCCI refused to give importance to Kambli’s allegations despite call of a probe by Sports Minister Ajay Maken.
“I would rather believe in what Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar or Ajit Wadekar say,” Pawar said. Pawar, a former BCCI chief, said if Kambli was an honest and committed cricketer, he should have made the allegations after the mega tournament in 1996, instead of raking it up
now.
“If he was an honest and a committed cricketer he should have spoken about it then. But he kept quiet, so I hold him irresponsible,” said Pawar.
Kambli’s claims have, however, been rejected by the then skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, the then coach Ajit Wadekar and Sanjay Manjrekar.

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