Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Bilateral ties with India will improve Pakistan cricket: Asif

Karachi: Disgraced pacer Mohammed Asif has said it was very important for the PCB to have bilateral cricketing ties with India as it could generate revenues that would help improve Pakistan cricket. "India now gives 70 per cent of the revenue generated by the ICC and once we have bilateral ties with India everything will improve in Pakistan cricket.

The money will come in and that is very important," said Asif.

Asif, however, refused to reveal details about how he got involved into the spot fixing racket in 2010, saying he will tell the ICC/Pakistan Cricket Board anti-corruption officials when he meets them in the coming week.

Despite being grilled for two hours by a television channel regarding the spot-fixing scandal in England and if there were other members of the team involved in the racket, Asif insisted he would only give the details to the concern officials.? "I will be meeting with the ICC/Pakistan Cricket Board anti-corruption officials and whatever I have to say I will say to them," he said.

?"I will tell everything I know about the spot fixing racket and what happened in 2010 but I can't say anything here and now," Asif added. The pacer admitted he felt guilty and ashamed for his actions.

?"There are others who have never even bothered to apologise to the nation for their actions," Asif said without elaborating who he was referring too. Asif remained silent when a caller on the show accused him being shameless.

?"What is the use of your apologising after denying everything for three years...I don't know why they have called you even on this show. People like you should be isolated," a caller said. Asif, however, urged people to accept his apology.

"I don't want to say much but I made a grave mistake and I just hope the people accept my apology. I can understand their feelings but I have already faced punishment," he said.
Asif choose not to make any comment on Mohammed Aamir describing him as a mastermind of the spot-fixing scandal.

?"I want him (Aamir) to also play again for Pakistan because he has number of years left in him. As far as I am concerned even if I can't play for Pakistan or top cricket, I will still play club cricket because cricket is my blood," he said.

The banned pacer also insisted he would be doing everything? he could to play a role in educating other players about the menace of fixing and corruption.

Meanwhile, Asif spoke for the first time to the anti-corruption and vigilance wing of the cricket board as an initial step towards reviving his career.

The 30-year-old was banned for seven years, two of them suspended, after being found guilty of spot fixing at Lord's in 2010 along with then captain Salman Butt and pace partner Mohammad Aamir.

Last week he became the third and last player to confess his part in bowling deliberate no-balls during the England Test in return for money. He also apologised to the fans. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman confirmed that Asif had met ant-corruption and vigilance officials. "Asif has volunteered information sharing and the meeting was in that connection," the spokesman told AFP.

The International Cricket Council made sharing information about fixing, an apology and rehabilitation mandatory to having their suspended bans dropped when the punishments were imposed in 2011.

Butt has five of his 10 years suspended while Aamir's five was the minimum that could be imposed.

Asif said he intends to do more sessions on information sharing.

"This was the first session in which information sharing was done and there will be more such sessions," Asif told reporters outside the Gaddafi stadium in the eastern city of Lahore.

"I have shared whatever information I have."

Source: http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-21183.aspx

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