Khan: Pakistan must stick with England tour

Imran Khan says Should not abandon

Former captain Imran Khan says Pakistan should not abandon their tour of England despite allegations that members of their national team were involved in a betting scam.Cricket legend Khan told CNN that he was "shocked and embarrassed" by the scandal which has left preparations for the team's upcoming one-day international series with England in disarray. "The tour should definitely continue but if some players have indulged in wrongdoing or committed a crime they should be punished and sent back (home) and replaced.  "But a tour should never be abandoned because this reflects as if the whole team is involved or the whole cricket structure," added the former all-rounder who led Pakistan to World Cup triumph in 1992. Khan appeared to have been greeted his wish when International Cricket Council (ICC) president Sharad Pawar appeared to rule out any immediate action against Pakistani players.

"We have discussed it within the ICC and have decided to wait for the police investigation report," Pawar, an Indian cabinet minister, told AFP Monday. "After that we have to take a viewpoint of the two boards, in this case the Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board.  "If anything is established, it will be viewed very seriously by the two boards and the ICC." Khan, who is at home in Pakistan helping with flood relief efforts, said the reports which surfaced Sunday in the British tabloid newspaper The News of the World had left people around him "upset and demoralized." The paper claimed it paid agent Mazhar Majeed $230,000 for advance information about three no-balls by bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif in the fourth and final Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's.

It went on to further claim that the players colluded in the alleged betting coup. Khan added: "There was a feeling of shock and embarrassment especially for Pakistanis living in Britain. "I guess I went through all those sentiments, but I have to say these are still allegations which I hope turn out not to be true."  Khan, who has forged a political career since retiring from cricket, said he had never been approached by betting syndicates during his 21-year career, 10 of them as Pakistan captain. "It seemed so impossible a team would throw a match," he said.

Meanwhile, betting expert Mark Davies told CNN that illegal bookmakers in Asia were behind such scandals and that calls to limit legal betting on cricket were wide of the mark. "This is about transparency in betting of which there is none on the sub-continent," he said. "Ultimately, it's about fraud and corruption and these people have no place in sport," he added.

Cricket players, fans react to claims of betting scam

Sadness and anger have greeted claims of a betting scam linked to the Pakistani cricket team during its major international match with England in London last week. British police arrested a man Saturday accused of plotting to fix parts of the game, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN on Sunday. The International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body, says that no players nor team officials have been arrested. Cricketer Kevin Pietersen, who played for England in the series against Pakistan, said Sunday through his twitter account: "Wow.. Woken up to hear some interesting revelations on our test!! Today is gonna be interesting..." Meanwhile former England captain Michael Vaughan, who led the team in its famed 2005 Ashes victory against Australia, said on his Twitter account. "Anger is my thoughts at the moment... very sad." Earlier he wrote: "Dark suit today for a very dark day for cricket... me think it's going to be a long day..."

Ehsan Mani, former president of the International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body, told CNN it was important the Pakistani cricket board and ICC act decisively and quickly. "There's absolutely no place for corruption in the game," he said, "and that will destroy the game we love so much. So it is absolutely essential that very decisive action is taken." He said that Pakistan already faced severe problems due to the security situation and devastation from the floods, adding "cricket was one thing that people, you know, held onto as a lifeline of hope. And to have something like this, if it's true, a scandal like this, is absolutely devastating for the country."

Edward Craig, deputy editor of cricketing bible Wisden Cricketers' Almanack -- the bible of the game -- told CNN: "Whether they are true or not it has put a real dampener on the series."  He added that Pakistani cricketers were immensely talented and had the potential to be the best side in the world if they could get themselves well organised and well managed. "The problem is with things like this going on and allegations like these flying around, it's unlikely that that is going to happen any time soon." Fans at the final day of Sunday's match between England and Pakistan expressed their anger at the allegations, UK news agencies reported.

Mark Stevens, from Bath, southern England, told the Press Association: "It's just very disappointing - I'll be wanting my hard-earned cash back if the players turn out to be guilty." And Patrick Archibald, an England fan who was born in Karachi, Pakistan, said the betting industry was to blame, the agency reported. "If bookies were not allowed to take bets on bowls then we wouldn't have these ridiculous situations in the first place," he added. Meanwhile online cricketing fans around the world expressed their thoughts through social media such as Twitter. "ZeeshanAM," who gave his location as Dubai, UAE, said: "The Pakistan cricket mess.. Makes me wonder how much does this happen in cricket, but we're just unaware?" "carriesparkle" wrote "am too depressed re cricket," while "marcthiv," who gave their location as London, asked: "Wonder if I'll get my money back on Pakistan to win?! Wishful thinking." But "ibadtariq" who gives his location as Islamabad, Pakistan, states: "Pakistan cricket will rise again!"