Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik warned the country’s cricket team on Monday they were being kept under close scrutiny before Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final against India because of the recent spot-fixing scandal.
“We are taking no risks now and we are keeping a close watch on the team for the semi-final because we don’t want any more spot-fixing scandals,” Mr Malik told reporters.
Three Pakistan players have been banned for a minimum five years each for manipulating incidents in 2010’s Lord’s Test against England.
Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan told Indian television channels he was appalled by what Mr Malik had said before such an important match.
“I just hope he didn’t mean what he said as it is not good for the team,” Imran said.
Mr Malik said that the authorities would keep a close watch on the semi-final on Wednesday to ensure no fixing took place.
“After the spot-fixing scandal we are taking no risks at all. But we are also satisfied that the present team members are also aware of the damage already caused to Pakistan cricket by the scandal and are clean,” Mr Malik said.
Mr Malik said the government was aware of the importance of the semi-final and was satisfied with the security being provided for the Pakistani players in India.