Match-fixing has returned to haunt Pakistan cricket with the parliamentary committee on sports summoning PCB chief Ejaz Butt, captain Younus Khan and coach Intikhab Alam to seek explanation for the team's Champions Trophy loss to Australia after allegations of deliberate underperformance.
Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Wednesday dismissed match-fixing allegations against the Pakistani team in the Champions Trophy but felt the players were over-confident.
PCB chairman Ejaz Butt and captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam will appear before the National Assembly standing committee on sports on Tuesday to respond to the match-fixing allegations labeled against them during the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Mike Hussey has defended Pakistani cricketers accused of throwing their Champions Trophy match against Australia, saying the allegations against Younus Khan and his men are "false" as he didn't sense anything fishy in the last-ball thriller.
Gautam Gambhir may be a familiar Pakistan nemesis on the field but the aggressive opener threw his weight behind Younis Khan and his men saying it is impossible to believe that they had tanked their matches in the ICC Champions Trophy. Gambhir said it is wrong to blame cricketers of match fixing if they end up on the losing side.
Pakistan skipper Younis Khan said he would not tolerate the slur of match-fixing levelled against him and his teammates and would resign from the captain's job if he felt so.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is the country's richest parliamentarian with assets of over Rs 1.43 billion, according to data released by the Election Commission of Pakistan.
