Pak players Akmal, Rana Naved vow to fight SCG match fixing claims

Karachi, Mar. 1 (ANI): Pakistan cricketers -- wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have threatened to take legal action against all Pakistani news outlets for being implicated in a match-fixing scandal during the Sydney Test in Australia.

A day after Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt said two players were under investigation for match fixing, the Voice of America television and radio network reported Akmal and Naved-ul-Hasan were the players under scrutiny.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had stopped short of naming the two players on Friday at a press conference. After first saying that two Pakistan players were under investigation for match fixing, he later retracted his statement saying he was talking about an old case.

Ijaz created further confusion when he said that the board was provided such information by the ICC that the PCB was forced to take action against the players.

Kamran started the tour of Australia as vice-captain to Mohammad Yousuf but finished being dropped from each of the Test, one-day and Twenty20 teams.

He turfed four catches during the Sydney Test in January.

Akmal, said he was not bothered by the allegations and was focusing on his game to give his best in the World Twenty20 championship beginning April 30 in the West Indies.

"These false reports do not bother me and I will continue to focus on my game. I want to give my best performance for my country," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lahore-based Akmal, as saying.

He, however, made it clear that he might consider suing media organizations that had accused him of being involved in match fixing.

"It is a huge allegation and I will decide on my response after discussing the issue with my lawyer and the Pakistan Cricket Board," he said.

Rana Naved has also strongly denied the accusation and threatened to take legal action over the issue.

A highly placed source in the board, said that both players were dropped for the Twenty20 international series against England in Dubai this month for this very reason.

"Although both have been named in the 30 probables for the T20 World Cup but they will eventually not be selected in the final 15," the source said.

According to the source, the PCB acted after the International Cricket Council (ICC) provided them with information that linked the two players to match fixing. (ANI)