Sept. 2: Saddened by the ongoing match-fixing allegations that have hit Pakistan cricket once again, India’s greatest all-rounder and former captain Kapil Dev on Thursday urged the legendary Imran Khan to come forward and save Pakistan cricket from its present disarray.
He, however, maintained that if found guilty, the cricketers alleged to have taken money to tamper with the game should not be allowed to escape. On the sidelines of a chess event at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here, Kapil said, “I appeal to Imran Khan to take charge of the current situation in Pakistan. Being the cleanest player, it’s he who can save and look after Pakistan cricket. None of us want the game in Pakistan to be finished, as they have produced some fine cricketers. “I do feel sorry for Pakistani cricketers and Pakistan cricket. But at the same time, the alleged ones should be severely punished if proved guilty.”
Kapil also appealed to the ICC to ensure that betting scandals carried out by a handful of law-breakers did not taint the “wonderful game.”
“I’m not qualified to say ICC should ban players. But I appeal to the governing body to look after the game and make sure the right people investigate the current issue.
“My message to the youngsters — never bet on cricket and in this way, you would never find negative people around you. Also, just a two per cent of negative people cannot rule upon the remainder of us if we keep looking at the positive sides of every aspect,” Kapil emphasised.