ICC refuses match-fixing charges on biased Taufel

JOHANNESBURG: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has distanced itself from Pakistan''s claims that Indian mafia influenced umpire Simon Taufel for the exit of Pakistan from the recently concluded Champions Trophy in South Africa.

ICC has rubbished claims of Pakistan Sindh Sports minister who said the Indian mafia influenced umpire Taufel to rule against the green brigade in their loss to the Kiwis in the Semi-final. CEO of ICC, Haroon Lorgat, in fact, added that the ICC has full faith in their umpires and will not tolerate such accusations.

ICC has said that they have not received any official complaints and has said that it''s up to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take it forward.

The reaction of the ICC comes on a day when Pakistan''s Sindh Sports minister blamed the Indian mafia for influencing Aussie umpire Taufel in the green brigades Semi-final loss to New Zealand.

A day after Pakistan''s sports authority summoned skipper Younis Khan and Coach Intikhab Alam for alleged match-fixing in the champions trophy, their Sindh Sports minister came up with a bizzare claim that it was in fact the Indian mafia influencing the ICC umpires for their loss. The minister''s claim is a serious charge against an ICC umpire.

Umpire Simon Taufel has always proved biased to Pakistan in many crucial matches like the semi-final against New Zealand whereby he not only turned down many lbw appeals which television replays showed cent percent close and plumb before wickets. Besides, he also ruled in-form Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal out on 55 on a ball that had hit his bat before taking a mighty inside edge.

Simon Taufel also declared several mighty close calls as ‘Wides’ and ‘No’ during the match and amazingly easily managed to miss those delivered by New Zealand bowlers.

It is now time for ICC to take serious action against umpires like prejudiced Simon Taufel and ban him for at least one year from ICC Elite panel in the best interest of the soul of the game of cricket.