S Africa not keen on cricket against Pakistan

London : South African players are not keen to play against Pakistan next month following the series of match fixing allegations against Pakistani cricketers in recent time, The Daily Telegraph said on Sunday.

The Proteas are due to play five ODIs, three Tests a couple of Twenty20s against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month.

The Daily Telegraph said the senior South African cricketers were not keen and considering making themselves unavailable for the series. “To say we are reluctant is an understatement,” a senior player told the daily.

“Nobody knows what the hell is going in Pakistani cricket and we feel that playing such a high profile series right now – especially in the middle east – is asking for trouble.
“Maybe it’s time for the ICC to step in, or for Pakistan to withdraw from the international game for a year until the mess can be cleaned up and people can start to believe in the game and develop a bit of trust,” the player was quoted as saying.

The South African Cricketers’ Association chief executive Tony Irish also conceded that “many players” hd reservations but did not say whether there had been talk of pullouts. “The fact that there are now further incidents under investigation is not good news. This all needs to be dealt with urgently in order to ensure that a heavy cloud of suspicion and doubt doesn’t hang over our series against Pakistan,” Irish said.