Former Pakistan Test star Qasim Omar has claimed that a bookmaker enticed players in New Zealand and Australia to throw matches by providing them with prostitutes. Chief International Cricket Council (ICC) corruption investigator Sir Paul Condon has been given names and phone numbers of 23 women by Omar, who played 28 tests for Pakistan in the 1980s.
According to The Observer, Condon, a former head of the London Metropolitan Police, and his investigative team, will take the list with them when they travel to Melbourne for the ICC quarterly meeting next month. The investigation team, mostly former police officers, will brief the meeting before seeking to interview call girls and bookmakers on the list. On the same trip, they will interview former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, one of several star batsmen accused by Indian bookmaker Mukesh Gupta of receiving cash for match information. Crowe has denied the allegation.
Omar, now living in Britain, told investigators about the sex for match-fixing set-up, claiming that from the mid-1980s, an Australian bookmaker in Sydney supplied prostitutes to players. "Omar has also provided information about an identical sex scandal in New Zealand, again organised by a bookmaker, who has been named. The Observer said. A spokesman for the investigation confirmed that there was a list, and that it would be among information taken to Australia.
Omar has alleged that prominent players, including team captains, had sex with the women. In Australia, prostitutes included a doctor, nurse, travel agent and a "glamorous" television presenter, the newspaper said. All were Australian, apart from one Pakistani and a Chinese. The new revelations come as law enforcement agencies and cricket bodies seek to determine how deep-rooted match fixing is. Scotland Yard\'s Serious Crime Squad is already looking into charges made by former England all-rounder Chris Lewis, that he was approached by Indian sports promoter Aushim Khetarpal to help throw a test against New Zealand in Manchester in 1999. Omar has alleged that batsmen were paid up to ?3600 for throwing their wicket away, and received lavish presents as extra perks. One world-class batsman, who he named to investigators, was offered ?9000 to go out cheaply in the first four tests of a five-test series. He also named an Asian bowler who under-performed in several matches in Australia, because he needed money to finish building a house.
The six-strong investigation team, which started its work in September, hopes to present an interim report to the ICC by mid-2001. It has been given three years by the ICC to root out corruption and advise how it could be culled from the game.
