Azhar appears before Madhavan; examination on
Ending his self-imposed isolation, former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin on Thursday appeared before Board of Control for Cricket in India's anti-corruption commissioner K Madhavan to tell his side of the story on the sensational match-fixing scandal.
After keeping officials and the media on tenterhooks for weeks, Azhar made a quiet entry into Hotel Ramada Manohar in Hyderabad through a rear gate, avoiding a battery of waiting mediapersons.
Madhavan, who flew down to Hyderabad on Wednesday night, was examining the Hyderabadi batsman, named in the Central Bureau of Investigation report on match-fixing.
The grilling is likely to continue till evening.
Azhar was asked by the BCCI to appear before the former CBI joint director between 0900 and 1500 hours IST on Thursday.
Madhavan, on a fact-finding mission, earlier told reporters at the hotel lounge that he had come to question Azhar as the latter's request on security considerations was 'genuine'.
"We did consider the security aspect as there were some untoward incidents when Manoj Prabhakar and Ajay Jadeja were questioned at Madras recently," Madhavan said.
Azhar, who along with four other cricketers and former physiotherapist Ali Irani was named in the CBI report, had failed to appear before the BCCI watch-dog at Madras.
As the venue where Madhavan was to meet Azhar was kept a closely guarded secret, it was all quiet at Hotel Ramada Manohar, adjacent to the Begumpet airport and there were no signs
of any protest demonstrations.
Mail Cricket Editor
