The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday refused to comment on reports that national team manager Yawar Saeed had complained about the presence of suspected Indian bookies in a hotel where the team was staying during the Test series against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
"It is premature for us to make a comment. We will wait for the manager's report on the whole issue and then make a comment on it," PCB's chief operating officer Saleem Altaf said.
The Pakistani media reported on Wednesday that during the team's stay at a five star hotel in Colombo, some players had told Yawar about some Indian nationals staying on the same floor as the team pestering them with invitations to have tea and dinner.
Yawar complained to the hotel management who changed the floor of the Pakistani players.
The media has indicated that the Indian nationals might be suspected bookmakers from Mumbai but Yawar told a declined to comment on their profession.
However, now it transpires that the Pakistani players didn't approach Yawar with any complaint and in fact some of them had got quite friendly with the Indians.
"The fact is that one of the player's who was a bit concerned with the mixing of the players with the Indians went and told captain Younis Khan about his suspicions after which Yawar came into the picture," one team source said from Colombo.
"The Indians were at the Taj Samundra hotel since the second Test in Colombo and got close to some players," the source said.
He said it was after Younis spoke to the team management that Yawar called the players and told them clearly that they were not allowed under PCB or ICC anti-corruption rules to entertain unknown persons or accept gifts or mingle with them.
"Yawar reminded the players that they were supposed to report to him immediately if some unknown or suspicious person tried to make contact with them or offered them favors," the source disclosed.
It was after this that the team manager asked the hotel management to change the floor.
Pakistan lost the Test series in Sri Lanka 0-2 with the final Test drawn.
The Pakistani batting collapsed thrice in a row in the first two Tests and the team lost close matches leading to criticism over performance of some players.
The Pakistan team begins its one-day series against Sri Lanka in Dambulla from Thursday.
PCB refuses to comment on bookies' presence
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