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I'm very clean, says Ajay Sharma

Paran Balakrishnan

Delhi cricket captain Ajay Sharma has denied that police in India have issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with cricket match-fixing allegations.

"I'm very clean," said Sharma, who is making his debut in Lancashire's Ribblesdale League. "These allegations are baseless. I don't know any bookmakers and there is no warrant for my arrest as has been reported."

A match between Ribblesdale Wanderers and Padiham isn't normally one of the hottest fixtures in Britain's cricketing season. This week, however, the British media has turned the spotlight on the duel between the two Lancashire league teams and Sharma, Padiham's new star player.

Sharma, a close friend of former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin, is the newest name to crop up in the match-fixing allegations that have enveloped the cricketing world.

Sharma, 36, played his first match on the weekend for Padiham, a small manufacturing town three miles from Burnley, Lancashire.

"I have denied everything and there is no need for me to go back to India to clear my name," the veteran cricketer told The Sunday Telegraph.

The cricketer said the first he knew about allegations that he was a middleman between cricketers and bookmakers in a match-fixing scam was when his wife rang from India to say such reports had surfaced in India.

"People are just firing in the air and looking for people to blame. It is not good for cricket. I just want to play cricket," said Sharma.

Sharma scored 86 runs and took six wickets in his debut match for Padiham on Saturday. He bowled 18 overs and gave away only 46 runs during his formidable opening performance.

The Indian cricketer's first over was interrupted when a football rolled onto the pitch from the neighbouring Padiham Football Club.

Padiham Chairman Keith Clayton says the club finalised its deal with Sharma in February. "The suggestion that he fled the country is wide of the mark," said Clayton.

The club hopes to capture the Ribblesdale League title for the third year running. It has signed on Sharma, who has the third highest first class average of all time -- 68.5-- for 'several thousand pounds' in its bid to ensure that it bags the title once again.

Sharma said phone calls he made before matches to Azharuddin were because they are "thick pals."

"It is just because I'm very close to Azhar....I've made calls to him...it is not a crime," he told the The Telegraph.

The cricketer, who has played one Test and 31 internationals, is a mid-ranking executive with the Cement Corporation of India in Delhi. He said he is on leave for 133 days to play for Padiham.

Padiham's cricket administrators are crossing their fingers and hoping that their new star won't be forced to return to India early. "We take his word that he is not guilty and very much hope he sees out the summer with us," said Clayton.

Clayton told The Telegraph that Pakistan's Aamir Sohail has been summoned home from nearby Rishton to help with inquiries. "We hope it doesn't come to that. We'd have to look at the legal implications as we may be seeking recompense from somewhere," he said.

Betting scandal: The entire coverage

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