Haider claims big names involved in fixing

Karachi, Feb 14 (PTI) Claiming that there are some verybig names involved in the match-fixing racket, Pakistan''srunaway wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider said banning the threePakistani players, Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and MuhammadAamir for spot-fixing is just the tip of an iceberg.

"There are some very big names involved in these illegalactivities, but they are getting away with it as thoroughinvestigations are not being carried out," Haider toldPakpassion.net website in an interview.

Haider, who is in London, waiting for the UK authoritiesto give a decision on his request for asylum in the country,also dismissed a statement by ICC chief executive, HaroonLorgat that he was confident that the upcoming World Cup willbe free from corruption.

"I was surprised by the statement by the ICC ChiefExecutive saying that the World Cup will be clean. The fact ofthe matter is that the three recently banned players (Asif,Amir and Butt) are just the tip of the iceberg.

"There are bigger names than the three banned players whoare still involved in fixing in cricket, not only fromPakistan but from other nations as well."

Haider fled to London from the Pakistan team hotel inDubai last November during a one-day series against SouthAfrica, claiming he was threatened by an unknown person ofdire consequences if he didn''t cooperate in fixing matches inthe series.

He landed in London to seek asylum but a fact-findingcommittee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which probedinto the circumstances leading to his decision to leave theteam, said it had found the wicketkeeper to be an unstable andtemperamental individual.

The committee also rapped Haider for not reporting thethreats to the team management and taking them intoconfidence.

Haider who is yet to reveal details of spot-fixing mafiain international cricket said that after the bans on the threePakistanis, other players are going to be even more carefulnow. .