Dr Irani says he was a mediator between the boys and the BCCI

Former India cricket team physiotherapist Dr Ali Irani has come out with shocking revelations: that he carried parcels for all the players in the team, and not only Mohammad Azharuddin, during the years he was with it.

In an interview to MID-DAY, Irani said during tours, hotel bellhops used to deliver bags to his room and then each cricketer would pick up his bag. He did not say whether he had any knowledge about the contents of the bags.

The CBI and the Board of Control for Cricket in India's investigator K Madhavan called him a conduit between bookies and match-fixing cricketers in their respective reports on match-fixing, which led to the BCCI serving him a five-year ban, which he says he plans to appeal against.

"They [the BCCI] are like parents," Irani pleaded.

However, in the interview he goes on to explain that he was a conduit in the sense that he use to be a sort of mediator or carry cricket messages between the boys and managers as also the BCCI whenever there was a misunderstanding.

"Why should I fix matches for Rs 60,000, as been alleged, when the boys (cricketers) out of respect and appreciation used to share their prize and also logo money," he countered while informing that from cricket, as a physio for ten years, he had earned Rs two million, which was reflected in his income sheet which he showed to Madhavan.

Irani however did not deny that the element of match-fixing existed and told the interviewer that if investigations continue more dirt will be found.

UNI

Mail Cricket Editor