I'll sue Asif's ex, Veena Malik: Dheeraj Dixit

New Delhi:

Dheeraj Dixit never had a permanent job but that did not stop him from being to close to the who's who of cricket, the sport he followed passionately.

In the centre of one of the most audacious match-fixing scandals in cricket history, Dixit is a wounded man waiting for the right time to get back at his detractors.

Number one on his list is Veena Malik, the estranged girlfriend of the Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif who was allegedly involved in spot fixing, in a sting run by a British tabloid.

After Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt were named by bookie Mazhar Majeed as being involved in fixing in the ongoing Pakistan-England Test series, Malik surfaced on several TV channels claiming she knew all along that Asif was involved in fixing and showed calls and SMS records to substantiate her claims. (Watch: Pak match-fixing storm)

It was Malik who revealed that Dheeraj was Asif's alleged Indian link who facilitated fixing of matches played in India. Talking exclusively to MiD-DAY from London, Dixit said that he is formulating his response along with his lawyers and they had advised him not to speak to the media.

"I am going to sue Veena Malik for tarnishing my image. I am talking to my lawyers as to how much damages can be claimed," he said.

"When I was in Dhaka in connection with a cricket series, Veena had called me that Asif is too naive to fix a match. She claimed that she manages Asif's affairs. She asked me if I could help her as I am very close to the players," he said.

"I have all the documentary evidence and will come out clean of this mess. I have nothing to do with cricket fixing," Dixit claimed.

The freelance photographer rejected media reports that he is going to write a tell-all book, adding, "In fact, my friend wants to write a book on my experience of covering cricket matches across the world, especially in the subcontinent. The book would have the full truth and tell the people that I am clean."

Dixit plans to stay in London till the end of the limited-over series between England and Pakistan. He did not get accreditation to cover the matches but said that some, "off the field" shoots will keep him busy. His photography isn't restricted to cricket he said, and claimed to have worked for some noted industrialists in England.