LAHORE: Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who has been pulled out from next month’s Champions Trophy in England after it emerged that he was under investigation by Mumbai police, on Wednesday dismissed all allegations of match-fixing and spot-fixing against him.
“I have never been involved in any kind of fixing, neither have I accepted any gift. This allegation is totally baseless,” the 57-year-old empire said in a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday, saying he was ready to face any inquiry.
Asad Rauf, part of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires, is one of the game’s most respected officials and has officiated 48 tests and 98 one-day internationals.
He, however, evaded media questions because of the code of conduct for umpires on the International Cricket Council (ICC) elite panel, saying that he was only allowed to present his viewpoint.
Asad said he is holding the press conference after ICC consent.
Replying to a question, Asad said that he was not removed from the Champions Trophy panel this week, but he was withdrawn by the sport’s world governing body.
That decision followed Indian media reports that he was allegedly under investigation in the IPL spot-fixing scandal which has led to the arrest of three cricketers.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has distanced itself from the controversy, saying it had not been involved in Rauf’s appointment to work in the IPL.
The PCB last month banned test umpire Nadeem Ghouri for four years after he was found discussing spot-fixing offers during a sting operation by an Indian news channel whose reporter posed as a bookmaker.
DND
