We could have called police on Trott: Afridi

Pakistan cricket team manager Yawar Saeed, left, and player Shahid Afridi are seen in the reception area of a London hotel Tuesday Sept. 21, 2010 before traveling to Southampton for their next match. 

KARACHI: Pakistan’s one-day captain Shahid Afridi said Tuesday his team could have filed a police complaint against England batsman Jonathan Trott over an altercation with fast bowler Wahab Riaz.

Newspapers reports said Trott and Riaz had an altercation minutes before the fourth one-day at Lord’s, with Trott grabbing Riaz by the throat after both exchanged heated words in the net area.

Reports said the incident started when Trott accidentally struck Riaz with his pads as he took them off.

“When Riaz was returning after warming up Trott called him a ‘match fixer’ and that he (Riaz) was up to harming Test cricket and hit his face with the pad,” Afridi told Geo television in London.

“It could have been a police case because it is crime to hit someone, but we showed a big heart and did not press for it.”

Trott was also involved in an ugly exchange of words with Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal during the first one-day game at Chester-le-Street on September 10.

Riaz, 25, was one of four Pakistani players interviewed by Scotland Yard earlier this month over claims in the News of the World that spot-fixing took place during last month’s Lord’s Test.

The three others were Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif. That trio have been suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

No charges have yet been levelled against any Pakistani player.

“The case is being investigated by the ICC and its anti-corruption unit and there are efforts to pressurise the Pakistan team on that,” said Afridi.

After the altercation between Trott and Riaz, Afridi confirmed that there were suggestions Pakistan should not play the match in protest.

“But we finally decided that it wouldn’t be appropriate,” said Afridi, praising his team for their spirit.

“There is a conspiracy to finish the Pakistan team, but Pakistani people are different, they rise under such a situation,” said Afridi.

Pakistan are facing fresh charges of spot-fixing during the third one-day at The Oval on Friday. British tabloid The Sun reported it tipped off the ICC that pattern of Pakistan’s scoring was pre-arranged with the book-makers.

The ICC has launched a separate inquiry on these claims.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt’s claims that according to bookies, England players took enormous money to fix the Oval match, strained relations between the two boards and teams.