Date-stamped : 14 Nov95 - 06:32
Bribery matter can be taken no further Abbasi

KARACHI, Nov. 2 Pakistan has taken the initiative  to  cool  down
the  tempers  in  the Salim Malik bribery scandal by offering its
regrets for any offence that the  wordings  of the  inquiry   had
caused  to  any of the players in Australia.  The chief executive
of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Arif Ali Khan  Abbasi,  said
on Thursday that the PCB accepted responsibility of conducting an
inquiry and chose to appoint a judge to  handle  the  matter  in-
dependently  of the PCB.  The PCB is also conscious of the stress
caused  to  Salim  Malik during  the  time  he  stood  accused  .
Commenting  on  the  reported  statements  that the International
Cricket  Council (ICC)  should start   inquiry   afresh,   Abassi
said,  The  PCB s view is that the matter can be taken no further
and trusts that  the  forthcoming  Test   series   in   Australia
will  be  played  in the right spirit by both the teams.  He said
under the ICC rules, the control and the discipline  of   players
away  from matches was a matter for each board. The PCB felt that
as the  allegations  against  Malik  oc- curred  after  the  1994
tour, the matter was for the two boards to take up.  The PCB took
over the responsibility to conduct the en- quiry   in   the  best
possible  manner and was of the view that the matter can be taken
no further, Abassi said.

Source :: Dawn Wire Service

<END> Contributed by Srinivas (srini@*.uquebec.ca)