COLOMBO // Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach, is relieved it his not his players who have been implicated in the latest rumours of corruption hanging over cricket, and says he believes the World Cup is clean.
Sri Lanka and Australia were both forced to respond to reports that implied their players had been involved in manipulating aspects of games at the World Cup this week.
Sri Lanka Cricket are considering legal action against a local TV channel for airing a programme which suggested Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera, the batsmen, had deliberately underperformed in the defeat to Pakistan.
Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper, also termed a report which claimed he and Shane Watson were being investigated over their slow start against Zimbabwe as "a joke".
"I am glad that Pakistan players are not involved," said Waqar, whose side were deprived the services of three senior players — Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Salman Butt — when they were hit with lengthy bans for spot-fixing last month.
"[However] let's not talk about it. I think the game is pretty fair and the tournament is clean, but it is always a talking point for people these days."
pradley@thenational.ae
