CricketZone.Com IndiaExpress.Com   ApunKaChoice.Com

Home | News | Players | Teams | Series | Live Cricket | Search

News Home| News Archives| Interviews| Columns| Off The Field|

NEWS India-West Indies ODI Series 2007> WICB to tread cautiously on Samuels issue 09th Feb 2007  09.05 IST By Agencies   Unrattled by the Nagpur police claims that Marlon Samuels had links with a bookie during the recent one-day series in India, the West Indies Cricket Board today adopted a wait-and-watch policy, saying they were "not going to act on rumour or gossip." WICB spokesman Tony Deyal said the Board had not received any communication from BCCI or ICC yet and would take necessary action only after getting a formal report. "We have not been officially contacted by the BCCI or ICC. However, we are not going to act on rumour or gossip and will not be panicked, particularly since we are talking about the career and future of a young cricketer of talent and promise," he was quoted as saying in media reports in Port of Spain on Thursday. Deyal, however, indicated that the Board would not take things lightly if the claims by Nagpur police turned out to be true. "We have zero tolerance policy on gambling and we strictly adhere to the ICC codes," he added. Meanwhile, Samuels' mother Lunan Samuels expressed shock over the whole episode and said she did not believe that her son had links with a bookie. "It's surprising to me and no, I don't believe it," she said, adding that she met her son yesterday and he did not tell her that he was being investigated by the Indian police. Seven years after the Hansie Cronje scandal, the cricket world was rocked while alleged match-fixing incident when Nagpur police last night said it had tapped a telephonic conversation of Samuels providing confidential team details to bookie Mukesh Kochar ahead of the January 21 one-dayer against India. Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar said that Samuels gave out information to Kochar, who is alleged to have links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, on the batting and bowling line-ups of his team but "we have no evidence about financial commitment made." He said Nagpur police had concrete evidence that Samuels was in touch with Kochar and "prima facie it is a violation of ICC Code of Conduct for player." Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-West Indies ODI Series 2007 Team Page: India Team Page: West Indies

LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland