PCB kicks off inquiry into sex scandal

Three Pakistani cricketers allegedly caught up in a sex scandal before the recent Singapore tri-series appeared before a Pakistan Cricket Board inquiry on Wednesday.

The players issued statements to Brigadier Khawaja Mohammad Nasir, manager of the national cricket team and the investigating officer in the case, PCB director Yawar Saeed said.

"The players recorded their statements," said Saeed, without giving details.

The cricketers facing the inquiry are allrounder Shahid Afridi, batsman Hasan Raza and wicket keeper Atiq Zaman.

According to press reports they had invited women to their hotel rooms in Lahore a day before before flying out to Singapore on August 18. The women were followed by men who demanded and were paid money by the players to hush up the matter, the reports said.

The squad returned home from Singapore on Tuesday.

"Brigadier Nasir will submit his report soon," Saeed said, adding that the PCB chairman General Tauqir Zia would act on the basis of the report.

Team coach Javed Miandad on Wednesday denied speculation that he would make a report to the PCB on the incident.

"It's not true that I will give a report because I am responsible for activities on the field and not off it," he said.

PCB sources said if the players were found guilty they would be fined or reprimanded, but not publicly.

Mail Cricket Editor