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The Pakistan Cricket Board is working on a plan to send a “vigilance expert” with its team to England for The Champions Trophy to help ward off potential match fixers.
Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and former captain Salman Butt are serving lengthy bans after being implicated in a spot-fixing scandal during Pakistan’s last tour of England in 2010.
A PCB official told The Associated Press on Wednesday there is a proposal to send a vigilance expert to the Champions Trophy along with a security official.
“The purpose of sending a vigilance expert is to monitor the presence of any unwanted men around the team in England,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to comment on the subject.
“The vigilance officer will not be undercover and if he goes to England he will be part of the team management.”
Security manager Waseem Ahmed has been travelling with the team since being appointed soon after the spot-fixing scandal.
The PCB official also said the vigilance officer will not be tapping the phones of the players, but “ensure there’s no unwanted men coming close to the players during their stay in England.”
Pakistan starts its Champions Trophy campaign against the West Indies on June 7 at The Oval with South Africa and India its other opponents in Group B. Group A consists of defending champion Australia, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
During its last tour of England Asif, Amir and Butt conspired with businessman Mazhar Majeed to ensure players bowled deliberate no-balls at pre-arranged times during the test match at Lord’s.
Soon after the tour the then security manager Khawaja Najam resigned and later recorded his statement regarding three players’ involvement in spot-fixing with the ICC anti-corruption tribunal in Doha.
This time around, it seems the PCB doesn’t want to take any chances and hopes to avoid a repeat of the 2010 scandal.
Pakistan has been hit hard by fixing scandals over the last 14 years.
Former captain Salim Malik had his life ban overturned last year by a court in Lahore after a PCB board of inquiry in 2000 found he influenced the result of international matches.
Only last week the PCB banned international umpire Nadeem Ghauri for four years over corruption charges after a sting operation carried out by and Indian television channel last year.
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