Afridi rubbishes spot-fixing allegations in third ODI

Karachi:

Pakistan's ODI captain Shahid Afridi has rubbished allegations of spot fixing following his side's 23-run victory in the third one-dayer against England at the Oval.

The match had come under the scanner following claims by British tabloid 'The Sun' that bookies knew details of Pakistan's innings even before yesterday's third one-dayer began. The ICC in a statement said that investigation is warranted as information about a certain scoring pattern appeared to be "correct".

The allegations, however, have left Afridi shocked. "I thought we played hard cricket and tried our level best to win the match. I just see these new allegations as an attempt to put pressure on the team," Afridi was quoted as saying on Geo TV.

"It is very unfortunate because the players have been under pressure since the Lords Test and the one-day series is still wide open," the flamboyant skipper said.

The Pakistan skipper has, however, called for exemplary punishment if anyone is found guilty, but only on the basis of concrete proofs and the evidence should be made public.

The latest allegations come on the heels of Scotland Yard's investigations into the three Pakistani players' --Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif -- alleged involvement in spot fixing during the Lord's Test last month.

The three accused players are presently in Pakistan, serving ICC's suspension.

The win at the Oval has given Pakistan a chance to win the one-day series, provided they win the next two games.

"Our job right now is to focus on the remaining two matches and that is what I have told the players. The board will handle the rest," Afridi said.

The skipper had some good news for Pakistani fans as wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has recovered from the finger injury he suffered during the third one-dayer and will be available for the next match on Sunday.