Thaindian News

London, Sep 4 (IANS) In the wake of the spot-fixing scandal in the Pakistani team, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said it is unhappy with the presence of Mushtaq Ahmed — who was implicated in the 2000 match-fixing scandal — as England’s spin bowling coach.
ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat said Saturday that the world body would have never employed the Pakistani because of his past links with match-fixing.

In the match-fixing scandal of 2000, Mushtaq was found to have links with illegal bookmakers and was heavily implicated in Pakistan’s Qayyum report into the match-fixing.

The report asked the PCB that he should be “kept under close watch and not be given any office of responsibility (selection or captaincy) in the team or on the board”.

Two years ago when Ahmed was appointed as the spin bowling coach, ICC had asked the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to have a monitoring procedure that included surveillance of his mobile phone calls and monitoring of the dressing rooms.

“The best we can do is just highlight anybody we have got on a list that has been labelled before and I handed this to the ECB and cautioned them (about Mushtaq) with a suggestion you need to do due diligence,” said Lorgat.

“They did their due diligence and they were satisfied with the appointment. I’m not sure what the ECB might be doing in a detailed fashion but we suggested they had to be vigilant around their own changing rooms. We don’t at the ICC as a matter of fact employ people we believe may have been tainted in the past but they are entitled to do their own due diligence and make their own decision,” he said.

But England coach Andy Flower has no problems with Mushtaq, who will be part of the England management during the Ashes tour this winter.

“I am very comfortable with Mushtaq. He’s been brilliant for us as a team. He’s been a good coach, a good example to our players and support staff - and I’m looking forward to him working with us again when he joins us in Australia. He’s a lovely man, and a good man for our system,” Flower was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.