Pakistani team warned against match-fixing

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KARACHI, Pakistan, March 28 (UPI) -- Pakistan's interior minister warned his country's cricketers Monday against match-fixing as they readied for their World Cup semifinal battle against India.

India and Pakistan, traditional rivals, will clash Wednesday in Mohali in north India for a berth in the final of the World Cup against the winner of Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Security will be extremely tight in Mohali and surrounding areas because of terror threats.

The Pakistani cricket team has been hit by a match-fixing scandal and Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he will monitor the players' activities. The scandal allegedly involved three Pakistani players in England.

"I gave a warning that there should be no match-fixing. I am keeping a close watch. If any such thing happens, we are going to take action," Malik told reporters in Karachi, the Press Trust of India reported.

The minister was quoted as saying while he was certain "the team has very clean members" the players would be under surveillance, including checks on who they meet and their telephone usage.

"This is necessary because we can't take a chance after what happened in London," Malik was quoted as saying.

Malik's comments were brushed aside by former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan who expressed confidence about the team's national pride.