PCB forms anti-corruption division

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket authorities have approved the setting-up of a "vigilance and security division" to fight corruption in the game, a month after three top players were imprisoned for spot-fixing.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been criticised for failing to combat graft, highlighted by the sentencing of former Test captain Salman Butt and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer over their roles in fixing parts of a Lord's Test against England last year.

The PCB's governing board met in Lahore on Tuesday and approved the new branch, which it said would be headed by a senior retired police or army official.

"The division will be responsible for monitoring and managing issues related to corruption and security," a PCB statement released on Thursday said.

New PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf said in the United Arab Emirates last month that strict measures would be brought into place "so that our players, wherever they are, don't get in touch with people who try to drag them into such negative activity."

Pakistan cricket has been blighted by allegations of match-fixing since 1995 when Australian trio Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh alleged then captain Salim Malik offered them bribes to under perform during a tour to Pakistan.

A judicial inquiry ended in life bans for Malik and paceman Ata-ur Rehman. It also fined Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Akram Raza.

After the spot-fixing scandal last year, the International Cricket Council came down hard on Pakistan, forcing them to form an integrity committee to look into players' assets and behaviour. (AFP)