News articles on spot-fixing

[SachDan]

Sad day for my game: Richie Benaud In 52 years of being involved in cricket, nothing has distressed me more than the revelations in today's News of the World. To watch the videos and read the transcripts from Mazher Mahmood's investigation brought back appalling memories of the Hansie Cronje match-fixing affair which brought cricket to its knees a decade ago. Sadly, the people who now taint a great sport have become far more sophisticated in their ability to make dirty money out of the game. Recently Lord Condon, the outgoing head of world cricket's corruption investigation unit, said it was the easiest sport to fix. I hoped against hope he was wrong, but secretly I feared that the examples he gave might well be true. The shocking events at Lord's this week prove that. I was banking on the trustworthiness and integrity of the participants not to besmirch the game by taking money in return for cheating and the passing of information. It turned out I was talking a load of nonsense. Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have made fools of all of us. What to do about it? Cricket's investigators must work harder to ensure the game is clean. But whether it can ever be completely clean is looking increasingly unlikely. Originally, I was writing an article about Jonathan Trott and what a splendid player he has become since hitting that century on debut at the Oval in 2009. Also Stuart Broad, who will be the next cricketer to do the double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets in Test cricket. They will be in Australia in November defending the Ashes. But in the background there could be shadowy characters that don't care about cricket or any other sport, merely about fixing the game to their own financial advantage. What about the hundreds of thousands of people who love the game of cricket and who pay their money at the gate? And those who will be watching on television or listening to the radio? What happens if a bowler runs up and bowls a ball which is correctly called 'no-ball' by the umpire? Will fans turn to one another and raise their eyebrows or just shake their heads and think about walking out of the ground. The ICC has a lot of work to do to restore confidence after this latest lousy bit of skullduggery. They and the administrators in various countries must act fast, otherwise cricket is at real peril. Will those punters and bookmakers care about that? I doubt it - there are other sports they can ruin for a bit of financial fun.

[Karan114]

Cheats spitting in face of game Cheats spitting in face of game Robert Craddock August 30, 2010 7:22AM WE have thought it for many years and now we can finally say it - the Pakistan cricket team contains a group of shameless cheats who must be thrown out of the game. There can be no soft peddling on this issue the Pakistan side cannot be allowed to play another game of cricket until the corruption issue exposed by London's News of the World is fully investigated. It's sad because the Pakistani cricketers operate on a different moral code to other nations and there are reasons why they have become so isolated and vulnerable as underpaid international gypsies who never get to play at home. It is difficult as an Australian to understand the desperate, live-for-the-day mentality that many of the Pakistani players have in a country in which corruption and instability are a way of life. The uncertainty of their cricketing lives is reflected by the fact that where Australia have changed coaches once in the past decade, Pakistan have done so 12 times. But there can be no excuses. These players have spat in the face of the game and must be harshly dealt with. It is 10 years since Pakistan captain Salim Malik was banned for life for manipulating his team in the same sinister way that Salman Butt appears to have done in England and the day Malik was banned, match-fixing became a bit like drug dealing everyone knew the consequences. If found guilty, the players must be banned for life and the stigma of this incident will linger not simply with the men responsible but Pakistan cricket forever. Every conspicuous no-ball, or batting collapse or fielding error, will now be shadowed by waves of suspicion. For all the hundreds of questions that will be asked about the match-fixing at Lord's, there is really only one concrete fact that needs to be established for the Pakistan players to be banned. When police raided the Swiss Cottage Hotel where the Pakistani players were staying in London on Saturday, they took away two bags belonging to players which allegedly had a large volume of money in them. If the serial numbers on the bills matched those on the ones handed out in the sting by the News Of The World reporter, then the game is up. Any logical person would accept that as proof of the scam. Since match-fixing was first exposed in cricket 15 years ago, catching the culprits has been like trying to catch the mouse that hides behind your fridge but this time they appear to have been caught cold. Over the past 15 years, scores of Pakistani cricketers, including the great Wasim Akram, have been accused of match-fixing yet most have managed to wriggle off the hook. Surely it cannot happen again. Mind you, it would be wrong to assume the International Cricket Council's corruption team will get to the bottom of this because in terms of investigating prowess, they are more Mr Magoo than Perry Mason. Everyone closely involved with cricket accepts that corruption has been rife within the game, yet in the 10 years in which the ICC corruption unit has been set up, their only scalps have been Kenyan captain Maurice Odumbe and West Indian Marlon Samuels, guppy-sized fish swimming in a school of white pointers. In mafia terms, it was like setting out to nail Al Capone and ending up trapping his taxi driver for jaywalking. Pakistan cricket is in a dreadful state and amid the anger the world must feel today, there is also sadness. It's especially sad to think that teenage fast bowling sensation Mohammad Aamer, one of the accused, is so gifted he only needed routine help to become a rich and famous global star but someone has guided him into the devil's den. Because of the strife-torn nature of the country, the team plays all of its games abroad and feel little loyalty to a homeland they rarely see. Pakistan's captain gets about $300,000 a year from the board and the lesser lights as little as $50,000. They can earn as much for a few pre-planned no-balls as they can for a year's work for their country. And they get precious little support from their board when injured. Jason Gillespie played 71 Tests for Australia after being rehabilitated back from injury countless times. Had he been a Pakistani he would have been lucky to play 10 because he would've been left to fend for himself. But lack of support is one thing - dancing with the devil quite another. http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/cheats-spitting-in-face-of-game/story-e6frerdf-1225911690055

[Fontaine]

Boo-freakin'-hoo. These idiots get sponsorship deals, endorsements and guys like Asif etc got fat contracts from the IPL so no, they are not poor or under paid on the whole. They're just greedy, stinking cheats who should be banned.

[kumble_rocks]

No mention of Mark Waugh or Warne. I guess , I expected this from an Aussie.... So much for heart felt emotion!

[Desi Cartman]

Hussey plays down Pakistan match-fixing Mike Hussey remains adamant Australia's Test win over Pakistan in January wasn't rigged despite the latest allegations of match-fixing against Pakistan The cricket world is once again reeling after Pakistan's alleged involvement in spot-fixing in their recent Test loss to England at Lord's. Pakistan allegedly bowled no-balls at designated times. The latest accusations once again bring into the spotlight Australia's amazing win over Pakistan in Sydney, where the home side clawed their way to victory after being on the brink of defeat. But Hussey, who made the most of some bizarre field placements to combine with Peter Siddle for a 123-run ninth-wicket partnership in that match, believed the Test win was legitimate. "They were certainly going very hard to get the wickets out there," Hussey said on Monday. "I know they were going hard at me and they were certainly going very hard at Peter Siddle as well. "... I think they used the tactic of trying to get me off strike and Peter Siddle on strike. "They were probably a little bit more defensive on the last day but I didn't think there was anything untoward going on, I just thought their tactic was to try to get Peter Siddle on strike and keep me off strike." Hussey was dropped three times by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal on the way to a match-winning 134. But Hussey said there was nothing untoward about the grassed catches. "It all happens in a split second," Hussey said. "Especially the catches off me ... they were all up to the stumps. "With those sort of catches they either go in or they don't. I don't think you can try to drop those." Hussey said the cricketing world had to be careful not to make assumptions over the alleged match-fixing of Pakistan. "If the allegations are proved correct then it will definitely take the gloss off. But at this stage they are just allegations from one newspaper," he said. "We have to be careful not to start making our own conclusions from things that are just alleged at this stage. "But if the allegations are proved correct, then yeah it's definitely disappointing, very sad for the game of cricket. "But having said that, the game of cricket's been around for a long time and can get through something like this and can come out the other side just as strong." http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-sport/hussey-plays-down-pakistan-matchfixing-20100830-143ki.html

[EnterTheVoid]

Spare a thought for Hauritz. His bowling in that match cemented his place in the team. He must be questioning whether he earned those wickets or were they thrown away.

[SachDan]

News articles on spot-fixing Please post all the news concerning to spot-fixing saga here which will make it easier to keep track of the latest developments..

Pakistan sends team to investigate cricket scam claims Investigators from Pakistan are flying to London to examine allegations that some of its cricketers were involved in a betting scam. The Federal Investigation Agency team will study claims that two players deliberately bowled no-balls during the final test against England at Lord's. Former International Cricket Council chief Malcolm Speed says there's a "fairly compelling case" for Pakistan's suspension from world cricket. Police have questioned four players. The three members of the team from the FIA - Pakistan's highest law enforcement agency - will join Scotland Yard officers in investigating claims that an undercover News of the World reporter paid cricket agent Mazhar Majeed £150,000 in return for exact details relating to play. Mr Majeed, 35, has been released on police bail after being arrested on Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers. Four members of the Pakistan team have also been questioned by detectives, with reports that mobile phones from three of them have been taken away for examination. The team will now head to Taunton for a one-day warm up match against Somerset on Thursday, before the start of the limited overs series against England. BBC News correspondent Greg Wood says there are suggestions that the England team would "find it difficult" to face a Pakistan side which included the four players at the centre of the allegations. Despite growing pressure, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has ruled out calls for action to be taken against them until after the police investigation. 'Ruthless actions' But its president, Sharah Pawar, warned: "If, unfortunately, there is a truth (in the allegations) then ruthless actions will be taken." The News of the World says it paid Mr Majeed for correctly providing advance details of when three no-balls would be bowled, in order that people could make a fortune out of betting on such an outcome. Bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, along with their captain Salman Butt and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, have all been quizzed by Scotland Yard officers. Their team manager, Yawar Saeed, insisted cricket was not "institutionally corrupt" in his country, and said the claims were unproven. International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar Waiting for police report: International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar But Malcolm Speed, a former chief executive of the ICC, thinks there is already a serious case for Pakistan to be banned from world cricket after further fixing allegations were levelled at several members of the team. He said there was provision in the ICC's anti-corruption code to suspend a whole nation, and that if if these latest allegations were proven and corruption found to be endemic, then they would have little choice. "I think that's (suspension) an option. It's serious," Speed told the Australian radio station, ABC. "It looks as though it is endemic that several of the team members are involved and have been for some time. So perhaps they need a rest. It looks a fairly compelling case." Former England captain Michael Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 live Breakfast: "Any player who is proven guilty ... should be banned for life, because unless you make a drastic decision on people who do this kind of stuff, I think it will carry on going on for ever and ever." His successor as skipper, Andrew Strauss, said the allegations had "removed the gloss" from his side's victory which completed a 3-1 series win. "The mood was rather sombre. Cricket was in the headlines for the worst of reasons. I can't really comment on the specific allegations, but clearly it has been a tough day." After the match, Pakistan's captain, Mr Butt, told a news conference he and his team-mates had "given 100%". When asked about his own situation, he said: "These are just allegations and anybody can stand out and say anything about you, doesn't make them true." 'Bow its head in shame' Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani said the allegations made his country "bow its head in shame" and his sports minister Ijaz Jakhrani promised life bans for any guilty players Pakistan's team manager Yawar Saeed: "No allegations are true until they are proved" Former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan told the BBC News Channel: "If, and remember these are still allegations and we have not yet heard the other side, these are true then it's probably the biggest setback for Pakistan cricket." A joint statement issued by the ICC, England and Wales Cricket Board and Pakistani Cricket Board stressed that no player nor team official had been arrested. Mr Amir bowled two of the three no-balls which led to the investigation - one on Thursday and one on Friday. The 18-year-old became the youngest bowler in Test history to take 50 wickets during day two of the second Test at Lord's. His teammate, Mr Asif, bowled one of the three no-balls in question on Thursday, the first day of the Test at Lord's. The 27-year-old made his Test debut in 2005 and is currently ranked third in the ICC bowling rankings. Mr Butt was appointed Pakistan's Test captain in July. He made his debut back in 2003 but was in and out of the side for several years until nailing down a regular place in 2007.

[SachDan]

Alleged fixer's brother in Pakistan hotel on eve of Lord's Test match Alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed and his brother Azhar are recognised figures on the international and domestic cricket circuit, with extensive links in the Pakistani dressing room that is now accused of corruption. The pair claim to act as agents for seven of the current Pakistan side, including captain Salman Butt and the bowlers accused of deliberately bowling no-balls, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Azhar Majeed was in the Pakistan team hotel, the Marriott at Swiss Cottage, on Wednesday night. Sources with knowledge of the pair's business dealings have confirmed that Azhar mingled with players including Mohammad Yousuf on the night before the fourth Test against England at Lord's. There is no suggestion that Yousuf has any involvement in the match-fixing allegations. Azhar Majeed's meetings at the Marriott came as his brother was in negotiations with undercover reporters from the News of the World posing as businessmen interested in executing a betting sting. Azhar Majeed is recognised as a legitimate agent by the Professional Cricketers' Association, which is understood not to have had any concerns about his conduct in county cricket on behalf of clients including Yousuf, Younis Khan, Abdur Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal. Yesterday, however, Azhar Majeed said that he had been thrown out of the Pakistan team hotel prior to the Oval Test last week because he was "top of the list" of individuals banned from entering players' rooms. "Security kept on hassling me, and I couldn't understand what it was for, the reason I was top of the list. I couldn't understand why," he said. "I found it a bit ludicrous for him to be chucking me out of hotel. Politely I went, but I have absolutely nothing to hide." Of the allegations against his brother he said: "I thought it was just rubbish." lol The Majeed brothers appear to have been close to the Pakistan team for several years, offering personal sponsorship to Butt as well as arranging county contracts and commercial deals on other players' behalf. Mazhar is also understood to have been around the squad during the controversial tour of Australia, when Pakistan lost every match. Their presence has been a cause of concern to the Pakistan management however. Yesterday team manager Yawar Saeed said: "When we started this tour, I told the players they should not be entertaining these two in their hotel rooms. These boys are their agents and, anywhere we tour in the world, we tell our players that they are not allowed to have agents in their hotel rooms. It is the policy on the tour." Butt was sponsored by Mazhar Majeed's property company, BlueSky Developments, based in Croydon, and has also visited Ryman League club Croydon Athletic, which Majeed owns. Majeed bought the club in 2008 from Dean Fisher, who has subsequently been convicted of fraud. The Football Association is understood to have been monitoring Majeed's involvement in the club for some time, and his claim to undercover reporters that he used the club to launder money is likely to be investigated by the FA. Last night the FA said it would not comment while the police are investigating. BlueSky has also staged charity events with the Pakistan squad. In 2007, according to the company website, it arranged a dinner attended by former Pakistan captain Inzamam ul-Haq and former England batsman Mark Ramprakash. According to the company website, the event was to raise money for a children's charity. According to company records Mazhar Majeed has been a director of 23 companies, 18 of which have been dissolved. One of the firms registered at BlueSky House in Croydon, Valeco Limited, is in receivership, and another, Able Trading Ltd, is late filing its accounts for the last two years. Court records also reveal four County Court Judgments against BlueSky Developments, totalling more than £15,000. Calls to the company's switchboard yesterday were not returned. Last night Croydon Athletic, who are due to play Carshalton today, said they were "devastated and appalled to hear of the alleged match fixing of international cricket matches" by their owner.

[anish233]

Ruthless Actions = Hang WHOLE OF PAKISTAN TEAM TO DIE.

[SachDan]

New Delhi: International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar has called for a conference call this afternoon between the England and Pakistan cricket boards to take stock of the situation after seven Pakistani players were named by The News of World and subsequently questioned by Scotland Yard on allegations of match-fixing. Read more

[Fontaine]

The press conference is only happening because there's revenue from the T20/ODI matches at stake. If this was the end of the tour the ICC would have taken a back seat and waited this whole damn thing out.

[SachDan]

ODI series to go on, action after police report: Pawar MUMBAI: The ICC said the Twenty20 and ODI series between Pakistan and England will go on as per schedule and "appropriate" action on 'spot-fixing' allegations against Pakistani cricketers will be taken after the completion of investigation by London police. "It is the desire of the ICC, England and Pakistan that the game is continued," Pawar said after a teleconference with top ICC officials, PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt and ECB chairman Giles Clarke. Pakistan and England square off in two Twenty20 Internationals (September 5 and 7) before playing five ODIs from September 10-22. Pawar said besides the London police, Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC is also preparing a report. The world body will take action after studying both the investigations and a report from the PCB. "I had a detailed discussion with Giles Clarke, Ejaz Butt, ICC vice-president Alan Issac, CEO Haroon Lorgat, anti-corruption wing in-charge Ravi Sawani and a few officials of ICC. We discussed in depth the Pakistani players' issue. One thing is that the British Police have not completed their investigation. Neither any player has been arrested," he said. "Until and unless the British authorities complete investigation, which we hope will be done in two-three days, and establish there is prima facie case it is difficult for the PCB to take appropriate action," he said. "ICC is waiting for the British police to complete investigation. ACSU is also looking into the details. It is also preparing a report in 2-3 days. The report by British Police and ACSU will give us a proper picture. This information we hope will lead us to take appropriate action if required," he added. Pawar said PCB chief Butt will submit a confidential report to Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari regarding the 'spot-fixing' allegations. "As per our information, PCB president is preparing a confidential report which will be submitted to the President and Prime Minster. He wants guidance from the country's leadership," said Pawar. Earlier in the day, Pawar termed the 'spot-fixing' allegations involving Pakistani players as serious. "If this is established, there will be quite a serious view that will be taken by the Pakistan Cricket Board, the England Cricket Board and the ICC," he said. "I am absolutely confident that both Boards will never encourage protecting anybody who has done a wrong thing. Whatever the allegations, the allegations themselves are quite serious," he added. The scandal broke out after a sting operation by a British tabloid in which a bookie, Mazhar Majeed, is seen boasting about the bribes he paid to get pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir bowl no balls during Pakistan's Lord's Test against England, which the visitors lost by an innings and 225 runs. Asked about the Indian bookies about whom Majeed talks about in the sting operation, Pawar said he was not aware of this. "I don't know. The BCCI have to take a view on that. The BCCI is one of our member and I am sure if any serious matter is there, the BCCI will take cognisance of this," he said. "I can't come to a conclusion based on a video," he reasoned. :headshake:

[asterix]

PCB mulls over legalizing match fixing, to offer it as service Lahore, Pakistan. After realizing that its players just can’t stop themselves from fixing matches, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to accept the reality and turn it into a business model. From now onward, all matches involving Pakistan would be fixed by PCB under a scheme named “Cricket as a Service” or CaaS or Cricket-On-Demand, loosely modeled on SaaS (Software as a service). “We have tried everything from emotional appeals to legal actions hoping to fight match-fixing, but there doesn’t seem to be any success. Clearly, we were doing something wrong.” said PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt after an emergency round of meeting with his relatives, who incidentally are also important members of the board. “It’s ancient wisdom that if you can’t fight them, join them.” said Butt, justifying his decision to officially get into match-fixing. “Furthermore, there was always a risk that BCCI or ICC could legalize it before we do it.” he added, arguing that the step could bring in the much needed cash for the cash strapped board. As part of CaaS, an individual or organization would now have the option of dialing in an official representative of PCB for services like No-Ball-On-Demand, Wide-Ball-On-Demand, Wicket-On-Demand, Ball-Tampering-On-Demand, Injury-On-Demand, etc. An online bidding system would be in place and the service would be offered to the party offering largest amount for a particular event. “A wealthy fan, a rival cricket board, or any other interested party can avail of these services.” Butt informed, adding, “Such services would be cheaper than fixing the whole match as an interested party can try out with fixing a few balls or events to see how the match progresses.” “It thus retains the glorious uncertainties of the game as you never know who would fix the next ball.” he pointed out. “Anyone can participate; say a wealthy Sehwag fan can buy a No-Ball-On-Demand to deny a Sri Lankan batsman a century even though he might not have any interest in fixing the whole match.” Butt further elaborated upon the benefits of CaaS and how it could make cricket matches even more interesting. The PCB Chairman claimed that there was nothing illegal in such an arrangement and it was as innovative as IPL with a much higher earning potential, although he agreed that things would get complicated if and when other boards also starts offering Cricket-On-Demand, just as there is confusion over which player represents which team in Champions League T20. “We could have a situation where we have sold a No-Ball-On-Demand and the rival board had sold Wicket-On-Demand on the same ball. A middle way is that the batsman gets run-out, but I guess a clearing house for such conflicting demands will have to be set up by the ICC in future.” Butt said. Cricket lovers in Pakistan, who are hell irritated with recurring charges of match-fixing, had mixed reactions over the announcement, but many of them welcomed the decision. “I am happy. After giving the world first computer virus, it’s so nice that we are back to our innovative ways.” said Basit Alvi, a cricket lover and SaaS provider, who also offered to set up an online bidding platform for PCB to offer CaaS. Link

[Karan114]

England to demand Pakistan trio are banned from rest of tour • Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt in frame • ECB considers trio's ban a minimum condition for playing on Mike Selvey Monday 30 August 2010 20.44 BST While the Pakistan team left London and made their way through the bank holiday traffic to Taunton for their match against Somerset – in preparation for what they hope will be a one-day series against England – the Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board, along with the International Cricket Council, were locked in talks to try to reach agreement over the tour's future. The startling allegations in the News of the World that the bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif had been deliberately bowling no-balls to order for the benefit of illegal bookmakers in India and the Far East – so‑called "spot-fixing" – cast their shadow over the probity of the entire tour, leaving flat England's astounding recovery at Lord's and their 3-1 win in the series. Mazhar Majeed, the fixer caught in the newspaper sting, was released on bail today without charge, but investigations by the Metropolitan Police are ongoing, and he will be recalled for further questioning. The head of the ICC's Anti‑Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), Sir Ronnie Flanagan, who succeeded Lord Condon in the post two months ago, is believed to have arrived from the ICC's Dubai headquarters and will also travel to Taunton. It was announced from Pakistan that a three-man team from their own Federal Investigation Agency, the country's highest law enforcement agency, is being sent to England to conduct enquiries and assist Scotland Yard. There are some heavy hitters on the case. Today the ICC's chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, promised "prompt and decisive action" should the case be proven against the two bowlers, the captain, Salman Butt, who has also been implicated, and indeed anyone else that the ACSU, which says it has been monitoring a number of players for a while, has in mind. However, he warned that the right of due process must be respected when addressing such serious allegations. "Make no mistake – once the process is complete, if any players are found to be guilty, the ICC will ensure the appropriate punishment is handed out. We will not tolerate corruption in this great game," Lorgat said. None of these investigations is likely to be concluded before the first of two Twenty20 matches, in Cardiff on Sunday. In the interim the governing bodies of the game have to decide if it would be inappropriate to continue with the tour, or whether the financial penalty of not playing the series (figures of £12m have been mentioned) is too much to ask from a game that is increasingly cash-strapped. In the sombre aftermath of his team's innings victory on Sunday the England captain, Andrew Strauss, in typically considered fashion, was unwilling to commit himself or his team to playing against a team containing players that may be guilty of malpractice, asking only that the dust be allowed to settle first. He will understand, though, the repercussions to the finances of the game in this country: it would be extraordinary if the series did not go ahead because of the refusal of the England team to play. A more realistic option is sure to have been thrashed out during today's teleconference. Short of cancelling the remainder of the tour, something it will not do, the Pakistan cricket board does not hold any aces in these negotiations. The manner in which the ECB, largely through its chairman, Giles Clarke, has sought to help Pakistan through difficult times, particularly in facilitating this summer's neutral matches against Australia, means it is owed. Clarke's disdain when presenting a man-of-the-series cheque to Amir on Sunday was eloquent enough and now he will demand from the PCB a minimum condition that even with investigations still pending, Amir, Asif and Butt be suspended from the team for the duration of the series. It is possible that such conditions have been pre-empted to an extent by an earlier meeting between the PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, the manager, Yawar Saeed and the one-day captain, Shahid Afridi. Meanwhile a familiar figure has also spoken out. Javed Miandad, the great Pakistan batsman, thrice coach of the national team and now director‑general of the PCB, has said he believes the entire touring party, including management, should be recalled home and replaced with a second string. "It will be tough for the players to handle this pressure as they will not be in the right frame of mind," he said. "It's better they should be replaced with new players, and I think we have enough talented players in reserve. If anyone is found guilty, he should not be spared, and punished strictly." They would of course need a coach, and fortunately Miandad knows the very man. "I am more than willing to accompany the new team," he said, "and coach them in the Twenty20 matches and one-day internationals." http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/aug/30/england-pakistan-ban-tour

[Karan114]

HEADBUTT Not Asif. Not Amir. Pakistan skipper Salman Butt emerges as the man responsible for ‘spot-fixing’ Shahid Hashmi In Karachi: A day after the match-fixing storm put world cricket on the brink of another crisis, Pakistan captain Salman Butt has emerged as the man at the centre of the controversy. According to sources in the team, Scotland Yard investigators last weekend found wads of cash worth 50,000 pounds in Butt’s hotel room at the Marriott at Swiss Cottage in London. Of this money, 29,000 pounds was in Sterling, while the remaining 21,000 in South African Rands and UAE Dirhams. When asked about the cash, which comes to approximately Rs 37 lakh, Butt told the investigators that it had been collected for his sister’s trousseau. main culprit Though the players at the forefront of the scandal, broken by British tabloid News of the World on Sunday, were fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, sources within the team are now saying that Butt was the man responsible for the clout that bookie and player agent Mazhar Majeed enjoyed in the team. Butt’s troubles were compounded when Asif, one of the bowlers who had bowled a no-ball on Majeed’s instructions, told the investigators that it was Butt who had introduced them. Majeed, an agent recognised by the Professional Cricketers’ Association, is Butt’s marketing manager. The 25-year-old Butt endorses Majeed’s company, BlueSky Developments, based in Croydon, and has visited Ryman League club Croydon Athletic, which Majeed owns. Dean Fisher, from whom Majeed bought the club, has been convicted of fraud. According to reports, Majeed has been a director of 23 companies, 18 of which have been dissolved. Management’s request Majeed’s brother Azhar was staying in the team hotel until he was asked to leave on the Pakistan team management’s request on Wednesday. Sources said that Azhar had met with players on the night before the fourth Lord’s Test against England. Insiders in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), meanwhile, have revealed that the board had since 2007 ignored several complaints about Butt by former captain Younis Khan and even the International Cricket Council (ICC). Image under cloud His conduct had first come under cloud during Pakistan’s tour of India that year. Butt, sources reveal, had accepted expensive gifts from an Indian businessman during that series. This had been reported to the PCB. Then, in December 2007, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) conducted an inquiry into the matter, and warned not just Butt but also Umar Gul and Danish Kaneria to limit their interaction with strangers who showered them with presents. But things did not improve and, in 2009 when Pakistan visited Sri Lanka, bookies staying in the same floor at the team hotel in Colombo approached Butt and Kamran Akmal. Sources said when the management got wind of this, they shifted the entire team to a different floor. Peak of the nexus Before the team went to New Zealand and Australia in December last year, however, the player-bookie/agent nexus had reached its peak. When then captain Younis Khan told the PCB about this, it didn’t go down well with a set of players who joined hands to complain against him. PCB bowed down to player pressure, and Younis had to step down and skip the tour. “In this whole scenario, Younis Khan was standing alone. He is the man who fought against corruption. But it was he who was expelled for no reason,†former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who was in the know of this incident, told Ahmedabad Mirror on Monday. Over in England, sources say some English players have said they will not play the two T20 and five one-day internationals against Pakistan if the seven players — Butt, Asif, Amir, Kamran Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Umar Amin, and one player who is yet to be named — are not removed from the Pakistan team. The PCB is expected to give in to the demand. http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/23/2010083120100831041018974cb8540d5/HEADBUTT.html

[SachDan]

Four Pakistani cricketers 'unlikely' to finish tour

Four Pakistani cricketers under scrutiny for claims of spot-fixing are unlikely to play again on the current England tour, the BBC understands. The BBC's Pat Murphy said the four may lack the mental focus required to play. The International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit is preparing an urgent report, while police carry out a separate criminal investigation. The four players being questioned are Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal. Mr Murphy added that the ICC was concerned about banning the four players based on a newspaper expose and an incomplete investigation from Scotland Yard, and therefore wanted to receive the findings from the anti-corruption unit urgently. It is expected within days. The anti-corruption unit's representatives are now in the UK, while the Pakistani government is sending its equivalent members to work with Scotland Yard. An ICC press conference has now been pencilled in for Thursday, our correspondent added. Pakistan are due to play Somerset in a tour match from Thursday before playing the first of two Twenty20 internationals against England on Sunday - by which time the ICC hopes to have made its initial report. The ICC has also stated that Pakistan's tour of England will carry on - president Sharad Pawar said it was the "desire of the ICC and the cricket boards of England and Pakistan that the game should continue".