GOODMORNING ANDHRA

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) may not confirm it, but two officers of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) are in the country to question banned pacer Shaoib Akhtar on his claims of being approached by match fixers during tours of India and South Africa.

Sources well versed with the working of the ACU confirmed to PTI on Tuesday that two of its officers are in Pakistan and Akhtar himself was keen to find out who they are.

Earlier a local channel here reported that an ACU official was in Lahore to probe the claims made by Akhtar.

But, given the secrecy the ICC and its ACU maintain on match fixing, gambling and betting related issues, no one is willing to confirm or deny the report.

The report said the unnamed officer interviewed Pakistani players Younis Khan and Umar Gul on Monday although manager Talat Ali was not available to confirm or deny the story.

When contacted by PTI, PCB Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi said Colonel Nur, the ICC security officer in Pakistan, was the right man to speak on the matter.

Nur, on his part, was adamant that unless he had clearance from the ICC he would neither confirm or deny the report on the television channel.

The ICC has officially said that its officers would talk to Akhtar for his statements on a television show that he was offered money to under-perform in matches on several occasions but he turned them down.

ICC Code of Conduct states that any player who fails to report an approach to fix games or under-perform to his captain, team manager, board or ACU officers may face a minimum ban of one year and maximum of five years.

Akhtar never reported these approaches to any team official, the board or ACU officers.