The involvement of a former Pakistan Test cricketer with bookmakers last year forced organisers of the unauthorized Indian Cricket League to withhold payments to all of its Pakistan players, local media report.

"This (Pakistani) cricketer fixed (ICL) matches with the help of local bookmakers," Urdu language daily Jang quoted an unnamed ICL official as saying.

Another Urdu language newspaper, The Daily Express, published a similar report, quoting the unnamed ICL official.

ICL organisers were not immediately available to comment on the reports when contacted by The Associated Press yesterday.

Sidelined and dropped

After the matter came to the notice of the ICL, the player in question was sidelined and dropped from the remainder of the Twenty20 tournament.

Jang also reported that it was due to the Pakistan player's involvement with bookmakers that the rest of the tournament's Pakistani cricketers have been unable to have their payments cleared by the ICL.

However, "those players are now being assured that their payments will be cleared in a month's time", Jang said.