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Khetrapal denies match-fixing charge

Delhi-based sports promoter Aushim Khetrapal today denied the allegations of former England player Chris Lewis that he had offered him 300,000 pounds to persuade English players to throw a Test match against New Zealand in August.

In an interview to be published in the coming issue of Outlook, a news magazine, Khetrapal denied that he had offered money to English players Alec Stewart and Allan Mullaly.

He also denied that he had made a similar approach to New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming to influence the Test match at Leicester between England and New Zealand.

The magazine, in a statement, claimed that it had managed to trace Khetrapal in Sri Lanka, where he is currently scouting for locales for a music video he is making.

Khetrapal said: ''I deny the charges by Lewis and Fleming. I talked to and met Fleming, but it was basically about representing him for newspaper columns and some television work when he arrived for the New Zealand series in India.

''Kamlesh Patel was referred to me by film producer Jagdish (of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam fame) as a friend of Lewis, and someone who might be able to help me to organise an English team for a benefit match I was organising in Mohali for Punjab Cricket Association secretary M P Pandove.''

''When I met Lewis there were six other people there. There was a bit of haggling over the price I would get the English players for the match. I was willing to pay anything from 70,000 to 90,000 pounds. Lewis said it would be difficult to get Stewart and Darren Gough. I told him to get at least eight current Test players.

''The match got cancelled because of Indian board politics. I am suing both News of the world and Lewis. I have got Lewis's mobile number in his own handwriting with me. Lewis even called me at my Holiday Inn hotel. Personally, I have got into various controversies, but this tops them all. Somebody is telling me now that Lewis is into drug problems and sold his story to the paper.''

While Khetrapal boasts of acting in four forthcoming Hindi films, one of them with Govinda, he says that the charges are part of a larger conspiracy to defame him.

UNI