'I've always played my cricket cleanly,' says angry Akmal

Karachi, Mar. 1 (ANI): Out of favour Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal said on Sunday that he had always played his cricket cleanly and for the team and was shocked by the match-fixing allegations against him.

"I am definitely going to take this matter further," he said.

Kamran's performance on the recent Australian tour has been under intense scrutiny after he dropped three catches and missed a big run out in the match that Pakistan eventually lost by just 32 runs.

Sources were quoted as saying that even Abdul Raquib, who went as manager on the Australian tour, had told an inquiry committee of the board about his apprehensions about Kamran's performances.

According to the sports web site pakpassion.net, the out of favour Pakistan wicketkeeper is currently taking part in the RBS Twenty/20 Cup.

He smashed 68 runs off only 44 deliveries, as the Lahore Lions comprehensively beat the Quetta Bears in their opening fixture in Karachi.

The 28 year old Lahore based wicketkeeper/batsman has represented Pakistan on 191 occasions in all forms of the game, but was named yesterday along with Rana Naved ul Hasan by Voice of America as two Pakistani players allegedly involved in match fixing.

Akmal though strongly refutes any accusations of him being involved in match fixing.

"I am not involved in match fixing at all and the accusations against me are baseless and totally false. It seems that there are certain people out there who are trying to ruin my career with a smear campaign," said an extremely upset Akmal.

"I am getting fed up with all these accusations of me doing this and that and being involved in shouting at senior players in team meetings, being up in the early hours looking after my child whilst my wife slept. It's getting ridiculous now and I am getting tired of having to refute these allegations again and again. I shouldn't have to keep coming out and continually denying these ridiculous allegations," he said.

Akmal's agent and close friend Azhar Majeed speaking to PakPassion.net was also very disappointed and agitated at what he called lobbying against Kamran from certain quarters.

"I don't want to name names just yet, but there are certain individuals in Pakistan who are trying to damage Kamran Akmal's name. They don't want him to be playing for Pakistan. These unsavoury accusations are unnecessary and extremely upsetting for the player, his family and his friends," he said.

"Kamran is a jovial young man, who is a polite and caring individual. He is from a cricket loving and patriotic family and of course he and his 2 brothers all play first class cricket in Pakistan, with Umar also now representing Pakistan. They take great pride in playing for Pakistan and their respective domestic teams," he added.

"I have spoken to Kamran after games when Pakistan have lost and he has been in tears. His wife is an educated girl who wants the best for Kamran and wants him to do very well as a professional sportsman, there is no way that Kamran or his wife would jeopardise any of this," Majeed said. (ANI)