Prabhakar breaks his silence

Earlier this evening Manoj Prabhakar finally broke his silence. Speaking to the web site tehelka.com , Prabhakar confirmed that it was indeed Kapil Dev who offered him money to "throw a match". Without saying it in as many words, when asked "was Kapil Dev the man?", Prabhakar nodded in affirmation.

Kapil Dev refused to comment on the issue and said that his lawyers would respond to Manoj Prabhakar first thing tomorrow morning.

Earlier today, Prabhakar testified to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The contents of his testimony have not been made public.

After Hansie Cronje's revelations, the cricketing world was further rocked when former Indian Board President IS Bindra revealed on CNN that Prabhakar had named Kapil Dev as the player who had offered him money to "throw a match".

Prabhakar confided this to Bindra in the presence of two witnesses, one of whom was Board member MP Pandove. This is first time Prabhakar has confirmed Bindra's statement, to the press.

Kapil Dev has staunchly denied the allegations from the moment they were made public, most notably in an emotional and teary interview to BBC World.

With Prabhakar's virtual confirmation, the pressure will mount on Kapil Dev to address the allegations in a much firmer manner. And soon.