Q: Everyday some new names seem to crop up in the match-fixing drama. Now, Brian Lara is alleged of wrongdoing. Comment.
A.This controversy has indeed harmed the reputation of cricket. It has shaken people's faith in the game. As a player, it is highly disappointing. But this is not the end.

Q: What do you mean when you say this is not the end?
A.Look, cricket is big enough to survive this. A lot of high profile players are being accused of a lot of things, and it is a sad chapter. But we have survived something like Bodyline in the past. I believe cricket will emerge stronger from this controversy. Temptations will always be there, but the game has to make sure now that all this is put behind, we have to move on.

Q: Do you think the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) acted in a right manner after Shane Warne and Mark Waugh confessed of taking money for providing information to a bookie?
A.See, the environment was completely different at that time. Those two, in fact, blew the whistle on Salim Malik. They had a positive role to play in the whole episode. I am not trying to defend anyone... what they did was silly, and they realised it soon enough.

Q:How do you see the International Cricket Council's (ICC) role in the whole issue?
A.It's very difficult for the ICC, because the body consists of different countries. It's up to those countries to take up the responsibility and clean up the system in their respective countries.

Q: There is one view that says the temptation is too high to resist these days for cricketers to say no to bookies. Do you agree?
A: As I said, temptations will always be there. Some will be tempted, some will never be bought off. I think it depends on the circumstances, on the individual.

Q: Shane Warne said after the phone sex episode that it is very difficult for the superstars of the game these days, because of the pressures. You were a big star in your playing days yourself. Do you agree with Warne?
A:When you play international cricket, you have to be ready to accept the responsibilities that come with it. One has to be strong enough. We are all going to commit mistakes in our life, but if they are honest mistakes, without any malice, I am sure the public will pardon them. There sure is pressure, but one has to learn to live with it.

Q: When you look back at your decision to ask your brother Trevor to bowl that in-famous underarm delivery, what are your feelings?
A:That's probably the greatest regret of my cricketing career. I wish I could change that, put that behind me. It has been difficult to have lived through it. It was the result of a build-up of a lot of things, It had less to do with the match on that day.

Q: Could you please recollect the happenings that lead to that episode?
A: It was a very hectic season for us, and there was a lot of pressure on the Aussie players, particularly the senior players. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and was not enjoying my cricket, not enjoying being out there. It was a fateful Sunday at the MCG, and I was just sick of the whole thing, that decision was a protest about the whole thing.

I remember New Zealand were eight wickets down, and if we manage to win that game, we would have got a few days off. It was a situation where they needed six to tie the match. I was sitting on the grass when the new batsman, a tall guy, walked in. I thought if anybody could hit a six, it was this guy. I asked Trevor, 'How have you been bowling your underarms?' He replied, 'I don't know.' I said, 'Well, we are about to find out.' I told the umpire about my decision, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Q:The aftermath must have been mind-boggling....
A:I was just running towards the dressing room, when a girl jumped the fence and pulled my shirt sleeve. I looked at her, and she said, 'You cheated.' I then realised I have done something wrong. It was like a morgue in the dressing room. Nobody uttered a single word. The media was having a field day, they were enjoying it. But the best response came from the New Zealand team. They took it better that anyone else.

Sure they were angry. A few things were broken in the dressing room, but in the next game, I was going out to bat, when Geoff Howarth, the Kiwi skipper, came up to me. Patting me, he said, 'We will move on, and think only about the game.'