Mohammed Kaif urges Shukla for fair probe into UPCA bribery scandal

New Delhi, July 19 : Former India batsman and Uttar Pradesh captain Mohammad Kaif on Thursday reacted sharply to the alleged bribery scandal unearthed by a sting operation, which claimed that a member of Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla’s personal staff sought bribes to facilitate selection of players.

A local Hindi news channel telecast an alleged phone conversation between Akram Saifi, an executive assistant of Shukla, and cricketer Rahul Sharma in which Saifi is heard seeking favours in “cash and kind” to ensure Sharma’s selection in the state team.

Kaif urged Shukla, who is currently the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) secretary, to ensure a fair probe into the allegations and weed out corruption from the association.

“Shocked to hear about the extent of corruption in UP Cricket. Young talent being curbed by corrupt agents asking for favours. Hope @ShuklaRajiv ji ensures a fair investigation and justice to the young talent & helps restore UP Cricket.,” Kaif, who recently retired from all forms of cricket wrote on Twitter.

“I stand by all those who have been exploited,” he added.

While Saifi has denied all the charges, Sharma, a little known cricketer has alleged that the former had sought favours for including him in the state team. IANS