Shame: Pakistan again in match fixing quagmire

Quickgun Murugan

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
778
Likes
22
Lord's Test at centre of fixing allegations

The fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's is at the centre of a police investigation into spot-fixing, after a 35-year-old man was arrested after allegedly being caught offering to bribe Pakistan's bowlers to bowl no-balls on demand.

According to a report in The News of the World, Mazher Majeed accepted £150,000 to arrange a fix involving Pakistan's new-ball bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, whom he allegedly asked to bowl no-balls at specific moments of the match. The paper also alleges that the team captain, Salman Butt, and the wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, are involved, along with three other unnamed cricketers.

Cricinfo understands from a source close to the investigation that a sum of £25,000 was found in the room of one of the Pakistan players, with further sums of £3000-4000 found on two other players. The source also confirmed that Mazher was known to the team, but in an informal capacity, and added that they fully expected to resume the Lord's Test on Sunday morning.

In a video secretly recorded during the NOTW investigation, a man alleged to be Mazher is clearly heard predicting that Amir would bowl the first over of the England innings, and that he would deliver a no-ball from the first ball of the third over - which as Cricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary noted: "was an enormous no-ball, good half a metre over the line." The man also appeared to correctly predict a no-ball from the sixth ball of the tenth over, bowled this time by Asif.

A Scotland Yard spokeman said: "Following information received from the News of the World we have today [Saturday, August 28] arrested a 35-year old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers."

Pakistan's team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed to Sky News that the allegations were being investigated, with police turning up at the team hotel in Swiss Cottage at 7.30pm, shortly after the close of an eventful third day of the Lord's Test, in which Pakistan were left on the brink of defeat after losing 14 wickets in the day.

According to Sky News reporters outside the team hotel, police officers were seen leaving the building with two bags at around 11pm, while an unidentified man in a Pakistan training top was understood to have been taken away in an unmarked police car from the back of the building, although the team manager denied that any arrests had been made within the squad.

Even allowing for their disastrous on-field performance, Pakistan left Lord's with unusual haste after the third day's play, with the team bus departing barely 20 minutes after the close of play, before any member of the squad had taken part in the mandatory post-match press conference.

Lord's Test at centre of fixing allegations | Cricket News | England v Pakistan 2010 | Cricinfo.com
 

Ray

The Chairman
Professional
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
43,132
Likes
23,834
Cricket has become a murky business with dodgy activities including those of the umpires!
 

Yusuf

GUARDIAN
Super Mod
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
24,324
Likes
11,757
Country flag
The game will be killed by such activities. As it is test cricket is suffering. Such activities will further take away spectators and viewers from tele game.

Pakistanis taking bribes can also be attributed to the lack of cricket in that country which leaves its players without any pay and very susceptible to bribes to fix matches.
 

Quickgun Murugan

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
778
Likes
22
The game will be killed by such activities. As it is test cricket is suffering. Such activities will further take away spectators and viewers from tele game.

Pakistanis taking bribes can also be attributed to the lack of cricket in that country which leaves its players without any pay and very susceptible to bribes to fix matches.
I hope this time ICC puts a ban on these player than PCB giving a sham BAN and voiding it in a while. These players deserve life ban. I think this is the reason why afridi quit test captaincy.
 

Daredevil

On Vacation!
Super Mod
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
11,615
Likes
5,772
I think all the players involved should be banned for life. And as a punishment Pakistani team should be suspended from playing cricket for a year or so.
 

Daredevil

On Vacation!
Super Mod
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
11,615
Likes
5,772
The cheats deliver

The three balls that will shake world of cricket

By Mazher Mahmood & Amanda Evans, 29/08/2010


THEY are the three no-balls that will be recorded in the statistics books forever - and will be remembered for shaking cricket to its core.

Millions of fans who watched Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif send down the trio of deliveries over two days' play at Lord's, had no idea they were bowled as part of a match-rigging scam.

Incredibly, during live coverage, respected TV and radio pundits exclaimed to worldwide audiences how bad every one of the faked no-balls looked - little knowing they were ordered by money-grabbing fixer Mazhar Majeed, who just a day earlier had collected £150,000 from undercover News of the World reporters.

And it all played out like clockwork exactly as Majeed promised it would. He claimed the players had demanded we pay the cash as our entry ticket into an existing shady gambling syndicate based in India.

In return he revealed solid details of the three no-balls he'd planned for the Lord's Test. . .

MAJEED: "There's no risk, there's no signal. . . these three are definitely happening. They've all been organised, okay? So, the first ball of the third over of the innings, yeah.

"Asif and Amir are going to be bowling. Amir is to bowl the first over (meaning he will also bowl the third), yeah?

"Okay? Then the tenth, the last ball. . . sixth ball of the tenth over."

REPORTER: The tenth over. Who's bowling it?

MAJEED: Asif will be bowling it.

Majeed then explained that the third no ball would come in the first over that teen wonder boy Amir got to deliver to an England right- hander, after one of the opening two left-handers had been dismissed.

Just to convince us Amir was on side Majeed telephoned the young star at his hotel. "Are you sleeping f***er?" he asked crudely. Amir confirmed that's what he was trying to do.

"Ok, sleep," said Majeed. "We've spoken about everything before anyway. Ok, don't mind. You sleep'."

But when Amir prepared for his day's work at the 4th Test on Thursday morning, he was certainly awake to what was expected of him.

Pakistan captain Salman Butt strolled out to meet England skipper Andrew Strauss in the middle of the ground shortly before the weather-delayed toss at 1.10pm on the opening day of the test.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to put England in to bat.

Butt had his customary huddle with his team but bizarrely did not even bother to inspect the recently uncovered wicket like his opposite number Strauss. As predicted Butt put Amir and Asif on to open the bowling.

And, as promised, on the FIRST BALL of the THIRD OVER to England opening batsman Alastair Cook Amir overstepped the white line marking his bowling crease by a huge margin.

Umpire Billy Bowden immediately raised his arm to signal the no-ball at 1.56pm.

Pakistan's 18-year old rising star had sealed cricket's shame on the pitch once illuminated by legends including WG Grace, Ian Botham and Don Bradman.

But the sly player brazenly tried to hide the truth, raking the spikes of his boots across the line and asking for sawdust to be put down as he falsely blamed the no-ball on loose footing.

Bemused Sky commentator Ian Botham exclaimed: "No-ball. Because of the one-dayers, you don't see that too often with the bowlers who play two forms of the game. They've got into the discipline of keeping behind that front line."

The BBC online commentary read: "Dirty great no-ball from Amir, that was fully two feet over."



Seven overs later, yet more disgrace was heaped on the game, as 27-year-old Asif also overstepped the crease on the LAST BALL of the TENTH OVER. He too went through the masquerade of calling for sawdust to dry the ground.

Former England captain Mike Atherton commented: "There's been a couple of biggish no-balls. He was over that front line by a good half a foot or so."

Play was abandoned due to bad light and rain at 5.45pm so the third no-ball promised by Majeed didn't happen.

But after play ended for the day Majeed smugly rang our reporter to brag. "You a bit more comfortable now?" he asked. "Told you. Once you showed your hand, I showed my hand, okay?"

Then he revealed how he had arranged another no-ball for the following day's play.

"Right, it's going to be Amir's third over and third ball," he said.

"It'll be his third over, not the third over of the game." He ended the call by reminding our man: "Boss, I'm telling you, you're dealing with the right person, you're not dealing with an idiot, all right?"

But on Friday morning Majeed contacted our man saying that he'd received a message from Amir.

Majeed said: "He's briefed up. He's just texted me now to say 'Shall I do it or not?' "

And Amir DID do it - despite getting off to a sensational start, taking three quick wickets in nine balls.

Commentators described him as being "on fire" as England wickets tumbled to his pace attack. Amir managed to skittle out England batsmen Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan without any of them scoring a single run. It was only the fifth time in history the third, fourth and fifth batsmen in an order had been dismissed for ducks. During the blitz, former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, commentating for Sky, said: "It's been Mohammad Amir's morning. He's made that ball talk."

His colleague Michael Atherton said: "Remarkable stuff this morning from Pakistan and in particular Mohammad Amir. Just 18 years of age. He's running in from the Pavilion End. He's like an old hand.

"He looks like he's going to get a wicket with every ball he bowls."

With Amir tearing through the batsmen, Majeed quickly contacted our man, warning that the promised no-ball might have to be cancelled and that we shouldn't place big bets on it. He said the captain might tell Amir to keep up the onslaught. "So much is happening out there at the moment," he added. Majeed was right - captain Salman Butt, who Majeed boasts is one of his players in the fixing scam - did have a quick word with Amir just before the THIRD BALL of the THIRD OVER.

Usually mid-over conversations between bowlers and captains would be about the placement of fielders and whether to make any changes.

On this occasion, no changes were made, prompting commentator Michael Holding to chip in: "A quick conference between captain and the bowler. Hasn't resulted in the field being changed. Not yet."

But there WAS a sudden change in Amir's form. As promised, he bowled and again placed his foot over the crease, into the banned area - a no-ball. The umpire had a word with Amir about the surprise delivery, pointing out how far over the line his foot had been.


On the TV replay, the side view showed he placed his foot at least eight inches past the line. It prompted bowling legend Michael Holding to exclaim: "How far over was that? Woh!"

Ian Botham added: "It's like net bowling" - referring to when bowlers don't try so hard when they are practising in the nets.

With his next ball Amir bowled a delivery that again caused problems for Jonathan Trott, with both commentators saying how good a ball it had been. Test Match Special listeners on BBC Radio 4 heard Jonathan Agnew and England legend Geoffrey Boycott recall how Amir had massively overstepped the crease the day before and called the delivery a "hostile ball". Agnew explained to listeners that Amir's boot was over the line "by a foot".

They then discussed the possibility that Amir could have done it on purpose in a bid to deliver the quicker ball closer to the batsman.

After the disgraceful cheating by Amir, Majeed rang back and told our man: "I'm not a joker, boss, okay? So you're confident?"

Grasping Majeed demanded yet another £10,000 payment. He said: "Try and get it to me four or five o'clock, yeah? Because I can give it to them as soon as they're finished, then that's done."

He explained how he was due to meet the team straight after close of play to accompany them to a charity dinner organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board. In an emotional interview after Friday's play on Friday, Amir hid his secret shame and told of his pride at bagging his first five-wicket haul at Lord's.

The young bowler, who made a big show of kneeling to kiss the hallowed turf on reaching the landmark, told Test Match Special: "These moments are for me good. At Lord's I wanted my name on the (honours) board and I did it."

He called the delivery that snared England's Alistair Cook - shortly before he carried out his third bent no-ball - the "most delightful wicket."

Ironically, the cheat said it was the best day of his career so far.

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/924391/The-three-balls-that-will-shake-world-of-cricket.html
 

Zaki

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2010
Messages
401
Likes
68
Country flag
Shame on Pakistan cricket team............... F*** off Pakistani cricketers (if they are guilty)

I take retirement for watching cricket from now on. Will decide if the whole/most of the team is changed........

Good bye Cricket Pakistan! - Hail England!
 

smartindian

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
614
Likes
59
Country flag
shame less fellows. it is like a mirror to show what amount of corruption in pakistan . then what we can expect from direction less fellows from a direction less country.
 

Quickgun Murugan

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
778
Likes
22
I think all the players involved should be banned for life. And as a punishment Pakistani team should be suspended from playing cricket for a year or so.
Why should Pakistan cricket be punished for bad cricketers. These cricketers should be banned not their cricket.
 

smartindian

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
614
Likes
59
Country flag
people of pakistan love there cricket so much it is like a betrayal to the country itself. if proven guilty they should be hanged
 

Solid Beast

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
405
Likes
63
We are world leaders in this field. Not only is the cricket corrupt, but its the only country in the world where both coaches and players are targets of assassination. Finger is diligently pointed to India while the crook brigade silently fixes more events.
 

Quickgun Murugan

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
778
Likes
22
That Ijaz Butt should be kicked in his butt and sent out of PCB. I somehow feel he is the root of all miseries of pakistan's cricket.
 

Zaki

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2010
Messages
401
Likes
68
Country flag
Solid Beast........ our team has ashamed us today and we have no way to defend ourselves. Lets openly confess that our team is a bunch of bastards who know nothing but to earn $$$ legally or illegally. It could be a conspiracy by the English teams to diminish the popularity of Amir and Asif as they are two of the best........ but apparently they are under heavy criticism and i find no reason to defend any player in the team. Lets be honest and let everybody bash on them.

In fact i m willing to support Team India after this humiliation as they are at least faithful to their peoples and the country
 

Zaki

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2010
Messages
401
Likes
68
Country flag
That Ijaz Butt should be kicked in his butt and sent out of PCB. I somehow feel he is the root of all miseries of pakistan's cricket.
Today's incident proved it is team that is letting us down, i have no complain from Mr Ijaz Butt from now on
 

Solid Beast

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
405
Likes
63
Solid Beast........ our team has ashamed us today and we have no way to defend ourselves. Lets openly confess that our team is a bunch of bastards who know nothing but to earn $$$ legally or illegally. It could be a conspiracy by the English teams to diminish the popularity of Amir and Asif as they are two of the best........ but apparently they are under heavy criticism and i find no reason to defend any player in the team. Lets be honest and let everybody bash on them.

In fact i m willing to support Team India after this humiliation as they are at least faithful to their peoples and the country
100% agree with you there...they let the people down...every single child that spent his free time dreaming about Pakistani cricket team...yaar I just don't have to fortitude to complete this sentence.
 

smartindian

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2010
Messages
614
Likes
59
Country flag
i was watching the 4th test england has lost 7 wickets for nothing.i was wondering how can they score more than 300 runs. today i got the answer
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top