Sharad Pawar promises stern action against guilty, denies India role

The ICC today warned of stern action against players found guilty in the spot-fixing scandal and dismissed suggestions of an India hand in the whole episode which has rocked the cricket world.

ICC president Sharad Pawar, who had an hour-long meeting with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt at his residence here, indicated that Scotland Yard's probe against the three Pakistani cricketers implicated in the scandal would be over soon.

Pawar vowed that the ICC would "maintain the sanctity of the game" and for that it would "never tolerate any nonsense or corruption in the game of cricket".

"ICC wants to maintain the sanctity of the game and all member countries, including PCB, are assisting in preserving it. PCB is not a separate entity, it is also a part of the ICC," Pawar told reporters after the meeting which was shrouded in mystery.

Butt's surprise arrival in Delhi and his meeting with Pawar came amid intense speculation that he was under pressure from certain quarters in the PCB to seek leniency for the accused players.

Butt, however, denied that he any such agenda and said the PCB had no tolerance for corruption and would provide all cooperation to the ICC and the investigative agencies. "As far as we are concerned, there is no tolerance at all," Butt said.

Pawar said that the ICC would not jump into any conclusion till the probe is complete.

"Till Scotland Yard probe is complete how can we comment. But if anything is established we will take strong stand. Without information we should not jump into any conclusion," Pawar said.

"Prima facie there are some allegations and we have suspended the players on the basis of that. Scotland Yard has permitted them to go back to Pakistan and PCB has also promised to make them available to the investigators if and when required."

"A major investigation agency is carrying out the probe and that will not take long. PCB or ICC will not interfere in the process," the ICC chief added.

Contrary to speculation in Pakistan that India was behind the entire drama, Butt cleared the air saying that "I don't believe in any conspiracy theory. I'm a businessman and a cricket administrator".

Pawar also made it clear that "India had no role" in the entire episode.

Butt also claimed that the PCB was not offended with the ICC's move to provisionally suspend the three cricketers -Test captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif.

"We are not offended. ICC asked them to individually answer and all of them have done so. If anyone is found guilty, we will not show any tolerance. ICC's Code of Conduct is very clear regarding this matter," he said.

The PCB chief also said that he raised the issue of resuming Indo-Pak cricketing ties with Pawar but did not elaborate. India-Pakistan cricketing ties have been put on hold since the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008.

Butt's meeting with Pawar comes in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal in which three Pakistani players were paid to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test last month.