ICC Official In Pakistan, To Meet Veena Malik: Reports

Karachi: A senior official of International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and security unit has reached Pakistan in connection with the ongoing investigations into allegations of 'spot-fixing' against three members of Pakistan team in England, reports said.

Television channels reported that Reza Hasan, who is on the ICC ACSU, was in Pakistan to meet Federal Investigation Agency officials and also gather information from Veena Malik, the former girlfriend of Mohammad Asif, one of the tainted players.

" Reza Hasan will also interview film actress and model, Veena Malik a former girlfriend of pace bowler Mohammad Asif," one channel said.

Veena Malik in a television interview had claimed that she had evidence of links between Asif and an Indian bookmaker and that the Sydney Test between Pakistan and Australia was fixed.

She has alleged that Asif had personally told her about this and she had also met the Indian bookmaker.

Sources said that Reza Hasan was also in town to inquire into the location and activities of some bookmakers whose names had cropped up during the questioning of Mazhar Majeed who received 150,000 pounds from the undercover reporters of British tabloid 'News of the World' to do 'spot-fixing' during the fourth Test at Lord's against England.

"The interesting thing is that since this new scandal came up Pakistani bookies and punters have gone underground and suspended their business and their work dens anticipating a crackdown on them," one well-informed source said.

"These bookmaker mostly do their business through Lahore and some Indian cities and are under the supervision of an Indian bookie, Lal Chand who visited Lahore few months back when Shoaib Malik got married to Sania Mirza," he said.

Bookmakers and punters take small and big bets on cricket matches involving all countries but those involving Pakistan draw big bucks, the source said.

The source said that Lal Chand visited Karachi or Lahore after few months to meet the big bookmakers and guide them on 'business' rules and regulations and to clear up old debts. PTI