Dubai, May 23 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Thursday withdrew Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf from next month’s Champions Trophy in England and Wales after his name cropped up in the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot-fixing scandal.
ICC said it took the decision after media reports indicated that the 57-year-old umpire was under investigation by Mumbai Police. Rauf, who is an ICC Elite Panel umpire, has been officiating matches in the IPL since the inaugural season in 2008.
“In the wake of reports that the Mumbai Police are conducting an investigation into Asad Rauf’s activities, we feel that it is in Asad’s best interests as well as those of the sport and the event itself that he is withdrawn from participating in the ICC Champions Trophy,” said ICC chief executive Dave Richardson.
The Pakistani was also in the news last year after he was accused of sexually exploiting a Mumbai-based model Leena Kapoor. Leena had filed a complaint with Mumbai Police against Rauf but retracted after six months.
It is not the first time an umpire has been linked with spot-fixing.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had banned international umpire Nadir Shah for 10 years after an Indian TV channel, India TV, exposed that he was apparently willing to fix matches for cash.
The TV channel also exposed Pakistani international umpire Nadeem Ghauri, who has also been slapped with a four-year ban by Pakistan Cricket Board.
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