It’s the cloud that refuses to go away. The ‘F’ word — ‘fixed’ — surfaces with irritating regularity, drawing mixed reactions but never quite being swept under the carpet. The only person to state publicly that Sunday’s match was fixed has been former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif, who said on a local TV station what many had been saying in private, in India and Pakistan. Today, he drew the wrath of the PCB, which said it would take legal action against its former captain. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan said, ‘‘We feel Latif’s assertions were baseless and unpatriotic, so we have decided to take legal action against Latif.’’ He said the PCB has also requested the President House to stop Latif from making such statements. Latif, meanwhile, stuck to his charge and said he was ready for a courtroom battle. The man who blew the whistle on match-fixing in cricket said, ‘‘I am ready to face any legal action, I have done so in the past and since I believe that there was wrongdoing I am ready to face legal action.’’ ‘‘I have some basis to form such allegations and I have met the (ICC’s) Anti-Corruption Unit people in a hotel in Karachi and have shared my basis with them’’, he said. Latif held an hour-long meeting with ACU sleuths Martin Hawks and Alan Peacock on monday, a day after the match. Pakistan’s vernacular newspapers have backed latif and denounced the ‘‘fixed’’ match. Latif was the first to declare a war against match- fixing when he walked out of Pakistan’s tour of Zimbabwe in 1994-95 and alleged the then captain Salim Malik of wrongdoing and having links with the bookies. When the matter was first raised, at Sunday’s post-match press conferences, the responses of the two team’s representatives — Rahul Dravid and Inzamam-ul Haq — was unusually sharp. Dravid, known for his patience and tact, said: ‘‘Will somebody please take this man out of the room?’’ Inzamam, equally easy-going, simply said ‘‘Shut up’’. Today, the Pakistan cricket team management apologised Inzi’s outburst, saying it was a reaction in the heat of the moment. Inzamam did not attend the pre-match press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium today, but manager Haroon Rashid apologised on his behalf at the packed conference hall. (With agencies)
