 | « Back to article | Print this article |
A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the Pakistan cricket team on charges of match-fixing in the ICC World Cup 2011 semi-final match against India.
The petitioner, Azhar Siddiq, pleaded the court on Thursday to elicit the record of phone calls of Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi and other players, Samaa TV reports.
The petition said the match was fixed to create friendly ties between archrivals India and Pakistan.
It also said that before start of the match, Afridi had talks with Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan on the telephone.
On Wednesday, disciplined bowling by India saw them beat Pakistan by 29 runs to set-up a World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on April 2.
After India's 260 for 9 was built around man-of-the-match Sachin Tendulkar's 85, Pakistan were dismissed for 231 with a ball to spare after all of India's five bowlers took two wickets each.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani watched the Indo-Pak match in Mohali along with his Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh, who had extended the invitation to both Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Gilani simultaneously.
Dr Singh's invitation was perceived as 'cricket diplomacy' to thaw the frosty relationship between India and Pakistan.