Published>Tue, Aug 31 10 06:00 PM
England dressing room is still in a "state of shock" after the spot-fixing allegations surfaced against Pakistani cricketers but young fast bowler Stuart Broad says the upcoming one-day series should go ahead as scheduled.
He also said that it was for the authorities to decide whether the suspected Pakistani cricketers should be suspended from the remaining tour.
"The one-day series should go on, as far as I'm concerned. We shouldn't call it off on the back of an investigation that is ongoing. We want to play and what about the supporters who have paid for tickets?," Broad wrote in Daily Mail.
"It is up to others to decide whether any of the Pakistan players involved in those allegations should miss those games, but we will be giving our utmost against whoever we face. And we trust the opposition will be, too."
Broad, who hit his maiden Test century in the Lord's Test, believes that Pakistani side fought hard throughout and that he did not notice anything untoward in the series, which his side won 3-1.
"We are all still stunned in the England cricket team. The dressing room is in a state of shock at the allegations that now surround our Test series victory over Pakistan. I can honestly say that I never dreamt there was anything untoward about our victories," he wrote.
"I can't accept that this series victory has been tarnished in any way. Whatever the true story is, I have absolutely no doubts that Pakistan were giving everything to try to win that match (Lord's). It was proper competition, as it has been throughout the series."
"Believe me, the (Pakistani) bowling was of a very high standard against us at Lord's. Ask our batsmen, who were out cheaply as we slipped to 47 for five, whether or not that was full-blooded Test cricket out there and they will tell you that it was extremely tough going," Broad wrote.
20-year-old cricketer though favoured strict punishment for those who are found guilty of any wrongdoing.
"You must always trust what you are watching and the moment you feel you are not sure that someone is giving their best is the moment when sport loses its reason for being.
"That's why I fully agree with our captain, Andrew Strauss, who believes that anyone found guilty of match-fixing, spot-fixing or anything that stops a game of cricket taking its natural course should face the heaviest punishments," he wrote.
The Anti-corruption and security unit of the ICC is investigating all the 82 international games that Pakistan has played in the last two-and-half years.
The claims of an alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed that several Pakistani cricketers are involved in spot and match fixing led to the investigations by both the ICC and Scotland Yard.
Broad hit a magnificent 169 in England's second innings at Lord's Test and that no scandal can take away his achievement from him.
"This was the biggest achievement in my Test career so far, even bigger than my bowling spell at The Oval when we won the Ashes last year, and nothing can take that away from me."
Broad, who is son of ICC match referee Chris, also insisted that he was never approached by anyone for any wrongful conduct.
"This is the right time to emphasise that I have never been approached by anyone asking me to manipulate any aspect of any cricket match and I am absolutely certain that none of my team-mates have either. Still, as the son of an ICC match referee, I can't imagine any match-fixer would be daft enough to approach me anyway! ," he wrote.
Source: Web Search
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