Srinivasan rattled | BCCI Treasurer mulling resignation | 'Batsmen not invloved'
Yahoo! Cricket
India captain MS Dhoni has been panned for his silence, but Sachin Tendulkar finally voiced his opinion on the spot-fixing and betting scandal that has engulfed Indian cricket as on Friday he expressed his "shock and disappointment" over the developments in the last two weeks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his first reaction to the scandal said politics and cricket should not get mixed.
"Developments in the last two weeks have been shocking and disappointing," Tendulkar said in a statement on Friday. "It always hurts me when the game of cricket is in news for wrong reasons."
"As cricketers we are always taught to go out, fight hard, give our very best and play in the true spirit of the game," Tendulkar, who is the first current Indian cricketer to comment on the scandal, said.
"During this difficult phase, I join every cricketer, from the boys in the maidans across the country to those who represent clubs, states and the country, who trust the authorities to take sincere steps to get to the root of the issue."
"The faith reposed by the millions of fans should be justified and we owe it to them to ensure that Indian cricket is all about pride and joy," the legendary batsman, who has announced his retirement from IPL, played for Mumbai Indians, which won this year's tournament.
Former India batsman VVS Laxman had also said the issues of corruption in the IPL were "distressing".
"It's very disappointing. The last two weeks have been quite distressing and a feeling of anguish was definitely there. I hope the various investigations done by the police in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai come to a logical conclusion, and more importantly the cause of this problem is erased. It is very important because just for some greedy players, the credibility of the rest of the players should not be affected. I think it is a very important issue and I am sure it will be cleaned up very soon," Laxman said.
Manmohan, when asked if the government was contemplating intervention into the scandal, said: "I would not like to comment on the type of things you have mentioned. This is under investigation."
The prime minister refused to be drawn into the controversy that top politicians, including ministers, were holding top positions in the BCCI.
"It is not proper for me to comment. I only hope that politics and sports don't get mixed," he told the accompanying media on board his special aircraft after ending his five-day visit to Japan and Thailand.
SRINIVASAN HAS 48 HOURS?
The anti-Srinivasan group in the BCCI says the board president's future is likely to be decided in the next 48 hours, CNN-IBN reported. BCCI sources told the channel if Srinivasan doesn't step down by then, they will call a special emergency meeting.
As Srinivasan is an elected functionary, at least three-fourths of the 30 full members of the board must vote against him. But that too may not be enough. To have him removed as the BCCI chief, at least 10 members have to make a written submission to convene a Special General Meeting of the board.
If he manages the support of eight full members, which is the case now, he would stay on.
RAJASTHAN PLAYER TO TURN WITNESS
The Delhi Police is speaking to Rajasthan Royals player Siddharth Trivedi in connection with the IPL spot-fixing case.
Trivedi has been made a prosecution witness in the case to make the police case stronger. CNN-IBN reports that Trivedi was offered bribe by bookies but he refused.
Meanwhile, the news channel reported that two foreign players were approached by the bookies, but they also rebuffed the approach.
Trivedi told the police that he has information about all four bookie rings, many of whom are in custody. Trivedi reportedly told the police about a group of friends including foreign players who partied together where bookies were active, according to CNN-IBN.
MISSING HOTELIER SURFACES
Chennai hotelier Vikram Aggarwal aka Victor in betting circles, who had been untraceable, finally appeared at the Mumbai crime branch on Friday for questioning. Earlier on Friday, the Tamil Nadu Police mulled issuing a lookout notice against Aggarwal to stop him from fleeing the country.
The Mumbai Police argued that further custody is necessary to complete their investigations at a Mumbai court where Gurunath and Vindoo had been produced on Friday. The Mumbai Police said they confronted Gurunath with the contents of his diary. The diary contains notations of several meetings.
The Mumbai Police had summoned Aggarwal for questioning on Friday over betting links with BCCI chief N Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan.
On Thursday, the Madras High Court had dismissed Aggarwal's anticipatory bail petition in connection with the summons issued by the Tamil Nadu Police.
Aggarwal failed to appear before the Crime Branch Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) on Thursday, the deadline set by the latter for an enquiry in connection with cricket betting.
In another anticipatory bail application filed by him in connection with the summons issued by Mumbai Police, the court ordered notice to the Mumbai Police.
Police say Aggarwal has been active in betting circles and was the one who introduced Bollywood actor Vindoo Dara Singh to Gurunath. Both are being interrogated on charges of betting.
IPL CEO FILES COMPLAINT
IPL CEO Sundar Raman on Friday filed a complaint against Gurunath Meiyappan, the son-in-law of Srinivasan; Chennai Super Kings owner India Cements and the Rajasthan Royals in a Mumbai court.
No comments:
Post a Comment