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NEWS I want to clear my name from match fixing: Azhar 24th Apr 2006  09.04 IST By Agencies   Mohammad Azharuddin has said he has given up hopes of playing for India but was fighting his case in the court of law to get his name cleared from match-fixing. "I have no hopes of playing for India. But I want to get my name cleared. I am expecting that the final hearing of my case will be in May before the judgment is announced," Azharuddin said. Azhar was slapped with a life ban while Manoj Prabhakar, also involved in the scandal, was banned for five years in 2000. The court has already exonerated Ajay Jadeja who was earlier banned for life by the Indian Cricket Board. The former India captain, however, refused to comment on whether he was made a scapegoat by the BCCI. "The matter is sub-judice and I cannot comment on that but I firmly believe that the whole issue was blown out of proportion," Azhar, who is in Karachi to play the veterans' cup said. "I was destined to play 99 Tests, that's the way I look at it. If I can play 99 Tests, I could have played one more," he said when asked if he was deliberately prevented by the BCCI from achieving a personal milestone. However, Azharuddin, a veteran of 99 Tests and 334 One-Day Internationals, said he cannot be banned from cricketing activities. "I don't need any permission from anyone to play charity or veteran's cricket. I cannot play in BCCI or ICC approved or sanctioned tournaments. Veterans' cricket is a different body that is neither controlled nor governed by the BCCI or ICC," Azharuddin said. Also View Team Page: India Team Page: Pakistan

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