Spot-fixing/Match-fixing scandal

[fawwaxs]

 

[fawwaxs]

Pak players involved or trapped God knows better, I believe it is innocent until proven guilty. But its true "Corruption is our National Game"

 

[Bang Galore]

If you see the CAR video, MM actually turns around and gives a full exposure to the camera at the back of the seat when the reporter is sitting next to him. C'mon with a few forensic analysis you can easily state the date and time this video was made.

Why didn't NOTW hand over the video right after they recorded it? Then the police could've waited for the noballs to occur and caught them in the act.

Instead it released it the next day. That has huge implications

Firstly, until the no balls were bowled according to the plan discussed, there was no grounds for any police involvement.

Second point - NOTW is not working for the police, they are interested in publishing the story as part of their business.

The only implication of this entire sorry episode is how some are willing to believe that the whole world is against Pakistan to such an extent that they are no longer able to hold on to even a semblance of perspective.

 

[fawwaxs]

Match-rigger boasts of syndicate's shady fortune
'We made £830k when Pakistan collapsed in the Aussie match'

CRICKET rigger Mazhar Majeed boasted that cheating in the sport is rife, with one controversial Test this year netting a shady betting syndicate more than £830,000.

His revelation that fixes go on in all forms of the game - Tests, One Dayers and Twenty20 - will horrify millions around the world who follow the sport.

And they will force cricket authorities to confront, once and for all, the match-fixing rumours that have dogged the noble game for years.

High on their list of investigations will be the Second Test between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney last January.

At the start of the fifth and final day Pakistan were in a supremely dominant position... but managed to lose dramatically.

Australia led by a mere 49 runs with just two wickets of their second innings remaining and with only one recognised batsman left.

In extraordinary scenes, Australia's last two batting partnerships managed 124 runs. That set Pakistan the relatively easy target of 176 runs to win. But they were bowled out for just 139 and lost.

There were widespread accusations of cheating at the time.

DOUBTS: Keeper Akmal dropped four catches
DOUBTS: Keeper Akmal dropped four catches

Pakistani coaches raised doubts about wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who dropped four catches and missed an easy run-out.

Three of the dropped catches were off the bat of Michael Hussey, who went on to score 134 not out.

But today we provide evidence from vile Majeed's own mouth.

To the astonishment of our undercover team, he provided detail of how the test WAS rigged and how crooked gamblers pocketed 1.3million dollars (£837,000) from it.

The part-time Muslim TV channel presenter opened up during a meeting in our car outside the Bombay Brasserie restaurant in Gloucester Road, west London, on August 18.

Explaining the scam he said: "Let me tell you the last test we did. It was the Second Test against Australia in Sydney. Australia had two more wickets left. They had a lead of ten runs, yeah. And Pakistan had all their wickets remaining.

"The odds for Pakistan to lose that match, for Australia to win that match, were I think 40-1. We let them get up to 150 then everyone lost their wickets. That one we made 1.3. But that's what I mean, you can get up to a million. Tests is where the biggest money is because those situations arise."

Majeed then continued to detail how he runs his slick operation.

Reporter: "Do we get information like there will be three no-balls in the third over?"

Majeed: "Of course, everything. And you get the indication to show if it's on or not. They'll change gloves at a certain point."

Reporter: "You will be relaying it."

Majeed: "Yeah, it all comes through me. We don't do results that often. The last one we did was against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup which was about two months ago. And you get a script as well."

Reporter: "What does that mean, a script?"

Majeed: "This bowler is going to concede this many runs, this batsman will do this."

The spoils of Majeed's sordid trade have brought him a life of luxury in which he mixes with superstars of film, TV and sport. At the August 18 meeting, he boasted how he was involved in movies and name-dropped stars.

He claimed: "Our production company used to do all the generic TV adverts for Showtime Arabia. Showtime is the largest TV network in the world. We made a film in 2006 called Paradise Now which won an Oscar and Golden Globe. Went down really well."

During an earlier meeting at London's Hilton Park Lane, the slippery crook even name-dropped celebs he could invite to a launch party for our investigator's "business venture". Majeed boasted: "I know a lot of footballers and I know a lot of English actors as well."

He then added that he knew one of the most famous Hollywood actors "very well." The News of the World is not naming him but he is a global superstar.

CHEAT'S SPOILS: Majeed's £1.8m Surrey mansion
CHEAT'S SPOILS: Majeed's £1.8m Surrey mansion

Majeed also bragged of knowing one of the world's top tennis players and claimed he had arranged for Salman Butt to be in pictures with pop stars and a world famous US rapper. It was during the Bombay Brasserie meeting that he revealed the Oval test being played at the time against England was fixed.

He said: "England, there's brackets. Like tomorrow (August 19) there is no bracket because the Indian market is not open. The third day (August 20) there's brackets.

"I give out the information the night before or morning. What's going to happen at the end of the fourth day. But we now are not going to do any results for the next two games because we want Salman Butt to be captain long term." Then he outlined the prices bookies pay him for his information.

"The results, like brackets, we charge anything between £50,000 and £80,000 pounds per bracket.

"And for results, Twenty20 is about £400,000. No-balls is easy. No-balls, you know, there's not that much money anyway, we know that.

"You can make a bet if you wanted no-balls you could probably get up to £10,000 each, yeah. That's simple.

"But in terms of results, depending on who we are playing, sometimes it can be £300,000. The max it can be is £450,000. You can speak to any bookie in India and they will tell you about this information and how much they'll pay. If you had the information and they knew that it was coming from the source they'd pay you that money themselves."

He said his prices were justified because he had to bribe senior players. Majeed explained: "If you've got six players, they're taking such a big risk, yeah."

In an earlier meeting, he had told of the players' desire to get in on match-fixing. "They will be up for it. I told you they will be up for making money. They need to make money." His name-dropping and endless bragging was interrupted by phone calls from Pakistan captain Butt and keeper Akmal. But two-faced Majeed wasted no time in having a go about his own players.

He said: "You'll find there's only a few players who are genuine and who are actually here for the love of the game and there's not many believe me. A lot of them are just looking for money, women and food.

"They make money and they need to make money. The problem is if they don't then they're not going to have enough money for the rest of their lives. In cricket there's not enough money.

"How much they're getting paid is a joke. I came from a football background and I can see the difference in football and cricket. It's huge."

Majeed, who runs a property company with a multi-million pound portfolio called Bluesky Developments, also admitted being party to ball tampering, another cheating ruse that has blighted cricket.

He shamlessly claimed: "I used to go out on the pitch to give the players their drinks. Whenever we couldn't get a wicket I'd have a lump of Vaseline on my hand. Shake their hand. They'd put it on one side of the ball and the ball would suddenly start in-swinging."

Today, after our astonishing revelations, Majeed's tampering with cricket has finally come to an end.

 

[SpArK]

Yaar at .21 Second he just looking to cam just check it !!

I think its better if PCB/ Pakistan government ask for access to this bookie and bring out justice.

I believe always that Justice delayed is justice denied and

even if guilty are let off not a single innocent should be punished.

 

[Awesome]

Firstly, until the no balls were bowled according to the plan discussed, there was no grounds for any police involvement.

Second point - NOTW is not working for the police, they are interested in publishing the story as part of their business.

The only implication of this entire sorry episode is how some are willing to believe that the whole world is against Pakistan to such an extent that they are no longer able to hold on to even a semblance of perspective.

Yes but handing it over the police before the fact would've solidified their argument that it was indeed shot before the no balls.

If they waited 24 hours to do it, that gives them ample opportunity to film it with Mazhar Majeed in cahoots with a trashy tabloid magazine which has a history of being sued for making up stories.

Your argument is so cynical. A person asking for evidence is equated with being in denial or losing perspective. If this is all that is needed to prove guilt, I can prove you to be a match fixer as well.

 

[Awesome]

Those who think Pakistan is wiggle its way out by raising questions of proof, need to know that the Death Penalty is one of the options for punishment that is being sought against them if its proved as the charge being levied is of treason.

Pakistan court summons seven cricketers for treason - Hindustan Times

 

[Awesome]

Pakistan to send investigators to UK - Yahoo! Eurosport

A team made up from Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and possibly an official from the sports ministry will be heading to England as part of Pakistan's probe into the spot-fixing allegations swirling around some of Pakistan's top cricketers.

No date of their departure is, however, set yet and the final composition of the team will become clearer on Tuesday.

The composition will be discussed at a likely meeting between Interior Minister Rehman Malik and the Sports Minister Ijaz Jakhrani on Tuesday.

Inam Ghani, the FIA director, and Azad Khan, the agency's additional director, have been nominated to travel to London.

The feeling in the interior ministry is that a point of view from the sports ministry is relevant and significant to the team's work.

Four players were alleged by the News of the World to be involved in spot-fixing.

Mazhar Majeed was caught on camera by the newspaper claiming to have bribed fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England.

Majeed, who also claimed Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were involved, was arrested before being let out on bail without charge.

Scotland Yard spoke to Butt as well as Amir and Asif, searched their rooms and confiscated their mobile phones.

"The team will interact with Scotland Yard over there and our involvement will be largely dependent on the investigations of Scotland Yard," Malik told Cricinfo.
"This will be fact-finding team, to ascertain what has happened and why it might have done.

There will be interaction with Scotland Yard not interference because it has happened in the UK not in Pakistan." The involvement of the ministries indicates the seriousness with which the government is viewing the allegations.

Already the President Asif Ali Zardari (also the chief patron of the PCB) has asked for - and been sent - a preliminary report by the PCB into the matter.
The Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani has also spoken sternly of the "shame" the incident has caused Pakistan.

A request has also been made to Interpol London by the interior ministry to send background information into the case to Interpol Pakistan.

First things first, NOTW should hand over its original tapes to Scotland Yard, or the digital media device that was used to record. Computer Forensics investigators can give quite an accurate date/time of when the information was written on the storage media

 

[Devil Soul]

Pakistan Court Summons Cricketers For Treason
LAHORE, Aug 31, 2010 (AFP) - A Pakistan court Tuesday summoned seven national cricket players, the country's sports minister and its cricket chief to face treason charges over fixing allegations in England.

The chief justice of the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore said those under investigation in England, plus sports minister Ijaz Jakharani and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt must appear on September 7.

Local lawyer Ishtiaq Ahmed filed the treason case on Monday, calling for life bans and confiscation of all the players' assets if they are found guilty. The charge carries a maximum death penalty.

The cricketers are alleged to have been paid to bowl no-balls at pre-determined times in a spot-fixing scam in the fourth Test against England, which Pakistan lost by an innings on Sunday.

Usually in Pakistan, court procedures are long and decisions takes years while a legal expert said if the accused fail to appear three times in a row a ruling could be made in absentia.

"The case is based only on allegations. We do not expect a hurried decision," Azhar Siddique, a local lawyer said.

The seven national team players include Test team captain Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, plus three unnamed players, who are all accused in the sting by British Sunday tabloid the News of the World.

Police have bailed a bookmaker, Mazhar Majeed, who is alleged to be the middleman in the scam.

 

[SpArK]

ICC report on Lord's Test spot-fixing scandal 'expected in days'

2010-08-31 12:10:00

The International Cricket Council (ICC)'s anti-corruption unit is preparing a report on the 'match-fixing' claims against seven Pakistan players, which is expected to be released soon.

"The reputation of the game has been tarnished and it is something we must make right. There is no question that people's confidence will have been swayed," The BBC quoted Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive, as saying.


"Hopefully we can reach a conclusion by the weekend. We are working hard, but it's important to remember that an individual is innocent until proven guilty," he added.

He further said that investigators from the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) were already in London conducting enquiries, and "assisting London's Metropolitan Police with their criminal investigation".

"If any players are found to be guilty, the ICC will ensure that the appropriate punishment is handed out. We will not tolerate corruption in this great game," he had said.

The ICC has also stated that Pakistan's tour of England will continue.

A British tabloid has named four Pakistani players -captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal- and three others of being involved in a spot-fixing racket.

The tabloid alleged that London-based Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl 'no-balls' in the Lord's Test against England.

The tabloid claimed that it has video evidence confirming involvement of the players, which it had shared with the Scotland Yard.

The video footage apparently shows the cricket agent counting out 150,000 pounds given to him by undercover journalists posing as businessmen.

Scotland Yard police had arrested Majeed on Saturday, but he was later bailed to appear before police at a future date.(ANI)

ICC report on Lord's Test spot-fixing scandal 'expected in days'

 

[M_Saint]

Firstly, until the no balls were bowled according to the plan discussed, there was no grounds for any police involvement.

Second point - NOTW is not working for the police, they are interested in publishing the story as part of their business.

The only implication of this entire sorry episode is how some are willing to believe that the whole world is against Pakistan to such an extent that they are no longer able to hold on to even a semblance of perspective.

No, Firstly Indian spin doctors get sheer creative when science and logic are presented against their/master's concoction.BRITS Media could blow a story at such proportion on overnight against the players of its disliking-country without having green light from its security apparatus, and you want me to believe it? Now what do you have to say on following article,

Cricket scandal part of psy-ops against Pakistan
Story planner known for his bids to implicate Muslims

Gauhar Zahid Malik


The latest allegation of match-fixing against Pakistani cricket team is said to be part of a greater psy-ops against Pakistan in which Indian intelligence and a Western secret service men jointly staged a drama to de-moralize the Pakistani nation.

According to an investigation conducted by Pakistan Observer, the two Asian-origin men behind the conspiracy were acting on behalf of their masters with the aim to malign Pakistan and initiate a campaign to disgrace Pakistanis at home and abroad.

One Pakistani close to alleged fixer believes that the man in picture may have been persuaded to act for a film or drama by the News of the World reporter. Otherwise no one is that fool to accept such illegal money in cash and spread it over to be filmed.

The British daily The News of the World reporters known for their disguised personalities and fake identities managed to convince a multi-millionaire Pakistani married to an Indian lady to play the drama to implicate the Pakistani cricket players.

The News of the World claimed their reporters had posed as front men for an Asian gambling cartel, paying 10,000 pounds to the alleged fixer as an upfront deposit.

The newspaper showed the alleged fixer, Mazhar Majeed, with piles of cash on a table who apparently allowed the Newspaper reporter to film him with the money.

Senior investigative reporters are now questioning the way Mazhar Majeed spread the money in cash on a table and did not object to film the conversation and the deal.

Pakistani community from London have reported that Mazhar is a 35-year-old property tycoon, who also owns Croydon Athletic Football Club and a multi-million pound property business in England. He lives in a 1.8 million home in Croydon, with his Indian wife and two daughters.

Sports officials in London also claimed Pakistan team members had been warned time and again not to get in touch with Mazhar Majeed who had been picked up by an Indian intelligence agency to implicate Pakistan team.

However, another Asian-British personality who apparently played the lead role to distort the image of Pakistan and promote psy-ops to demoralize Pakistanis is the reporter of The News of the World newspaper.

Pakistani community speaks of long history of The News of the World reporter, Mazher Mahmood who really planned the scandal.

Mazher Mahmood is an undercover reporter for the British tabloid newspaper News of the World.

He often poses as a Sheikh in order to gain his target’s trust, and is also known as the “Fake Sheikh.” In September 2008, he wrote a book titled Confessions of a Fake Sheikh - The King Of The Sting Reveals All published by Harper Collins.

Little can be confirmed of Mahmood’s background, the majority of which he has provided himself. In his 2008 book, he claimed to have been born in the Midlands as the son of an immigrant Pakistani journalists who settled in the UK in the 1960s. But that claim was never confirmed by any of his friends.

Mahmood’s late father, Sultan Mahmood had developed close links with the Indian community leaders who financed him to start a an Urdu newspaper from UK.

He got his first job as a journalist aged 18, and began his career with exposing his own family friends who had objected his close links with the Indians.

In 1984, he first used the “Fake Sheikh” disguise to entice prostitutes to a hotel room and tried to embarrass the Arab community in England. In 1989 he joined The Sunday Times but after some time the Newspaper’s managing editor dismissed for an attempted cover-up of an error he had made.

Mahmood works secretively, rarely going into the media offices. During his investigations, as well as the “Fake Sheikh,” Mahmood used several fake identities. He is often accompanied by a bodyguard, said to be his second cousin Mahmood Qureshi, who also use fake names and identity as businessman Pervaiz Khan.

The News of the World pays him a yearly salary of £120,000, plus an editorial and technical support budget which includes a dedicated technical support crew, his two bodyguards, and essential props, including: luxury hotel suites; private jets; limousines; and fees paid to informants.

In September 2004 he posed as a Muslim extremist to “expose” three men who were trying to buy radioactive material for a suspected Muslim terrorist group seeking to carry out attacks in the United Kingdom. The men were later found not guilty following a trial at the Old Bailey, with the judge criticizing the News of the World for not checking the credibility of the story before printing.

In 2004, Mahmood again led an investigation into exposing the creation of a “dirty bomb,” through the supply of the fictitious substance red mercury to three men from a supposed terrorist group. Mahmood was registered as an informant for the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch during the story, which lead to a criminal case prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service. The case, signed off by the Attorney General, collapsed in July 2006.

Cricket scandal part of psy-ops against Pakistan

Secondly, in a greater destructive scheme of thing, it makes complete sense on isolating PAK through any and all means by profiteers, Plunderers.

And finally the most saddening thing is Indian prophecy on PAK's well- being that spreads 'Illusion of reality' but 'Nothing real' IMO.

 

[SpArK]

 

[TaimiKhan]

Well i may be wrong, but there is something really fishy about this whole story.

Things don't seem to be in order.

 

[Undivided Kashmir]

No, Firstly Indian spin doctors get sheer creative when science and logic are presented against their/master's concoction.BRITS Media could blow a story at such proportion on overnight against the players of its disliking-country without having green light from its security apparatus, and you want me to believe it? Now what do you have to say on following article,

Cricket scandal part of psy-ops against Pakistan
Story planner known for his bids to implicate Muslims

Gauhar Zahid Malik


The latest allegation of match-fixing against Pakistani cricket team is said to be part of a greater psy-ops against Pakistan in which Indian intelligence and a Western secret service men jointly staged a drama to de-moralize the Pakistani nation.

According to an investigation conducted by Pakistan Observer, the two Asian-origin men behind the conspiracy were acting on behalf of their masters with the aim to malign Pakistan and initiate a campaign to disgrace Pakistanis at home and abroad.

One Pakistani close to alleged fixer believes that the man in picture may have been persuaded to act for a film or drama by the News of the World reporter. Otherwise no one is that fool to accept such illegal money in cash and spread it over to be filmed.

The British daily The News of the World reporters known for their disguised personalities and fake identities managed to convince a multi-millionaire Pakistani married to an Indian lady to play the drama to implicate the Pakistani cricket players.

The News of the World claimed their reporters had posed as front men for an Asian gambling cartel, paying 10,000 pounds to the alleged fixer as an upfront deposit.

The newspaper showed the alleged fixer, Mazhar Majeed, with piles of cash on a table who apparently allowed the Newspaper reporter to film him with the money.

Senior investigative reporters are now questioning the way Mazhar Majeed spread the money in cash on a table and did not object to film the conversation and the deal.

Pakistani community from London have reported that Mazhar is a 35-year-old property tycoon, who also owns Croydon Athletic Football Club and a multi-million pound property business in England. He lives in a 1.8 million home in Croydon, with his Indian wife and two daughters.

Sports officials in London also claimed Pakistan team members had been warned time and again not to get in touch with Mazhar Majeed who had been picked up by an Indian intelligence agency to implicate Pakistan team.

However, another Asian-British personality who apparently played the lead role to distort the image of Pakistan and promote psy-ops to demoralize Pakistanis is the reporter of The News of the World newspaper.

Pakistani community speaks of long history of The News of the World reporter, Mazher Mahmood who really planned the scandal.

Mazher Mahmood is an undercover reporter for the British tabloid newspaper News of the World.

He often poses as a Sheikh in order to gain his target’s trust, and is also known as the “Fake Sheikh.” In September 2008, he wrote a book titled Confessions of a Fake Sheikh - The King Of The Sting Reveals All published by Harper Collins.

Little can be confirmed of Mahmood’s background, the majority of which he has provided himself. In his 2008 book, he claimed to have been born in the Midlands as the son of an immigrant Pakistani journalists who settled in the UK in the 1960s. But that claim was never confirmed by any of his friends.

Mahmood’s late father, Sultan Mahmood had developed close links with the Indian community leaders who financed him to start a an Urdu newspaper from UK.

He got his first job as a journalist aged 18, and began his career with exposing his own family friends who had objected his close links with the Indians.

In 1984, he first used the “Fake Sheikh” disguise to entice prostitutes to a hotel room and tried to embarrass the Arab community in England. In 1989 he joined The Sunday Times but after some time the Newspaper’s managing editor dismissed for an attempted cover-up of an error he had made.

Mahmood works secretively, rarely going into the media offices. During his investigations, as well as the “Fake Sheikh,” Mahmood used several fake identities. He is often accompanied by a bodyguard, said to be his second cousin Mahmood Qureshi, who also use fake names and identity as businessman Pervaiz Khan.

The News of the World pays him a yearly salary of £120,000, plus an editorial and technical support budget which includes a dedicated technical support crew, his two bodyguards, and essential props, including: luxury hotel suites; private jets; limousines; and fees paid to informants.

In September 2004 he posed as a Muslim extremist to “expose” three men who were trying to buy radioactive material for a suspected Muslim terrorist group seeking to carry out attacks in the United Kingdom. The men were later found not guilty following a trial at the Old Bailey, with the judge criticizing the News of the World for not checking the credibility of the story before printing.

In 2004, Mahmood again led an investigation into exposing the creation of a “dirty bomb,” through the supply of the fictitious substance red mercury to three men from a supposed terrorist group. Mahmood was registered as an informant for the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch during the story, which lead to a criminal case prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service. The case, signed off by the Attorney General, collapsed in July 2006.

Cricket scandal part of psy-ops against Pakistan

Secondly, in a greater destructive scheme of thing, it makes complete sense on isolating PAK through any and all means by profiteers, Plunderers.

And finally the most saddening thing is Indian prophecy on PAK's well- being that spreads 'Illusion of reality' but 'Nothing real' IMO.

One of the best conspiracy theories floating around.

Do you agree with those views ?

 

[M_Saint]

ICC report on Lord's Test spot-fixing scandal 'expected in days'

2010-08-31 12:10:00

The International Cricket Council (ICC)'s anti-corruption unit is preparing a report on the 'match-fixing' claims against seven Pakistan players, which is expected to be released soon.

"The reputation of the game has been tarnished and it is something we must make right. There is no question that people's confidence will have been swayed," The BBC quoted Haroon Lorgat, ICC Chief Executive, as saying.


"Hopefully we can reach a conclusion by the weekend. We are working hard, but it's important to remember that an individual is innocent until proven guilty," he added.

He further said that investigators from the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) were already in London conducting enquiries, and "assisting London's Metropolitan Police with their criminal investigation".

"If any players are found to be guilty, the ICC will ensure that the appropriate punishment is handed out. We will not tolerate corruption in this great game," he had said.

The ICC has also stated that Pakistan's tour of England will continue.

A British tabloid has named four Pakistani players -captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal- and three others of being involved in a spot-fixing racket.

The tabloid alleged that London-based Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl 'no-balls' in the Lord's Test against England.

The tabloid claimed that it has video evidence confirming involvement of the players, which it had shared with the Scotland Yard.

The video footage apparently shows the cricket agent counting out 150,000 pounds given to him by undercover journalists posing as businessmen.

Scotland Yard police had arrested Majeed on Saturday, but he was later bailed to appear before police at a future date.(ANI)

ICC report on Lord's Test spot-fixing scandal 'expected in days'

Question is, why on earth Malcolm Speed froths on banning entire PAK from Cricket arena(The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Malcolm Speed calls for Pakistan team ban) without having the proof first? Would it be a sin to presume that ICC's report could be catered on Mr. Speed's wishes?