Spot-fixing/Match-fixing scandal

[alibaz]

One of the accusations is about Kamran Akmal's wicket. You cannot plan to get out like the way he got out. This one looks major BS.

There can't be more stinking than this. Pakistani players are not angles but now it looks like that they are being targeted.

 

[Patriot]

NOTW and other key media organizations who making claims should be sued for libel if charges are not filed against palyers.

 

[majesticpankaj]

PCB should sue all the media who are making false allegations against their innocent player.

 

[Bang Galore]

England just can't believe it as Pakistan's tainted tour continues

By Peter Hayter

England coach Andy Flower awoke on Saturday to the stench of yet more fixing allegations and another 'full inquiry' by cricket's world governing body.

And while the England and Wales Cricket Board steadfastly continued to bat away calls to scrap the final two matches of the one-day series against Pakistan - at Lord's on Monday and the Rose Bowl on Wednesday - Flower made no attempt to hide feelings of distaste bordering on disgust at the decision that the tour from hell must go on.

The Zimbabwean, who with Henry Olonga made a courageous protest against the corrupt regime of Robert Mugabe during a World Cup match seven years ago, admitted that the new allegations of a betting scandal involving Pakistan players will persuade some to regard his team's achievements in Test and one-day cricket against them during this tainted summer as not worth the scorecard they were written on.

The claims this time are into what the International Cricket Council called 'scoring patterns' during Pakistan's innings in Friday's third one-day international at The Oval, which Pakistan won by 23 runs.

But Flower conceded that the events of the past month had 'devalued' England's 3-1 Test series win as well as the current one-day series, although most cricket supporters are probably now well past caring.

Many believe the tour should have been abandoned the moment the ICC followed Scotland Yard in launching an investigation into spotfixing allegations against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif during the fourth Test at Lord's.

Conceding that relations between the sides had been adversely affected by events of the past month, Flower said: 'Looking at it from the game's point of view, which is what we should all do, it's very sad for cricket. From a selfish perspective, it's annoying because it devalues our Test series and it is also devaluing this one-day series.

'Has all this affected relations between the two teams? Yes, I would say it has. I don't really want to go into detail but things like this will affect the relationship between the sides, in general terms.'

The sorry saga started with claims that Amir and Asif had bowled no-balls under orders from a fixer during the final Test at Lord's. The bowlers and their captain, Butt, were suspended by the ICC and after being interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives, returned home to Pakistan, without charge, prior to the start of the one-day series.

At that point, ECB chairman Giles Clarke said: 'We can assure cricket fans across the country that the ODI matches will be played in the most competitive spirit long associated with contests between England and Pakistan.'

But his pledge appears to have been fatally undermined by fresh allegations emerging yesterday that Pakistan manipulated their run-scoring during their victory at The Oval on Friday.

It was claimed that they were acting according to instructions from a ringleader within the camp paid by illegal bookmakers to ensure a certain number of runs were scored in a particular block of overs.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat revealed that a newspaper had been informed in advance, saying 'a certain scoring pattern would emerge during certain stages of the match and, broadly speaking, that information appeared to be correct'.

On Saturday, as Flower struggled to take in the latest allegations, the tone in his voice revealed as much as his words. 'Probably naively, I didn't even contemplate that anything would be going on yesterday,' said Flower.

'We were concentrating on doing our job as well as we can, so that didn't enter my mind.

'As for the rest of the series, we want to go to Lord's and win the game so that we win the series - and we'll keep it as simple as that.'

Indeed, as well as having to be encouraged to take part in the oneday series in the first place, Flower's players were understood to be furious that the ICC's initial reports over the latest claims did not make it clear that the allegations concerned the Pakistan side and not England.

Police last week handed over evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service, who will decide whether to institute proceedings against Butt, Amir and Asif.

As far as Flower is concerned, what England need now is an Ashes series to blow away the stink and rekindle fans' faith in the summer game.

England just can't believe it as Pakistan's tainted tour carries on | Mail Online

 

[Bang Galore]

Pakistan match-fixing claims: South African players concerned about upcoming series

South Africa's cricketers have such deep reservations about playing against Pakistan in their scheduled series in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month that several senior players are considering whether to make themselves unavailable for selection

By Neil Manthorp

The Proteas are due to play five ODIs and three test matches as well as a brace of T20s, the second of which was agreed to by Cricket South Africa to help with flood relief in the stricken nation.

"To say we are reluctant is an understatement," one senior player told Telegraph Sport. "Nobody knows what the hell is going in Pakistani cricket and we feel that playing such a high profile series right now - especially in the middle east - is asking for trouble.

"Maybe it's time for the ICC to step in, or for Pakistan to withdraw from the international game for a year until the mess can be cleaned up and people can start to believe in the game and develop a bit of trust," the player said.

The SA Cricketers Association chief executive, Tony Irish, admitted that "many players" had expressed their concerns to him about the tour but was, for the moment, stoically maintaining a diplomatic stance.

"The fact that there are now further incidents under investigation is not good news. This all needs to be dealt with urgently in order to ensure that a heavy cloud of suspicion and doubt doesn't hang over our series against Pakistan," Irish said.

Asked whether he was aware that some senior players were extremely reluctant to participate in the tour, Irish said: "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Pakistan's 'withdrawal' from international cricket may, of course, happen involuntarily anyway. With the ECB having ruled itself out of acting as a 'home' venue in the immediate future and the UAE financially unsustainable, the PCB is rapidly running out of options - not to mention willing opponents.

Last week Zimbabwe was even considering offering Harare and Bulawayo as venues for Pakistan to stage 'home' games with ZC cricket committee chairman and former national captain Alistair Campbell suggesting that staging international cricket in the country before the country's scheduled return to test cricket in May next year was "a good idea."

Zimbabwe is still scheduled to tour Pakistan for a five-match series of one-dayers to raise money for flood relief in January.

After Saturday's allegations concerning the third one-dayer at The Oval, however, he was forced to admit that even Zimbabwe Cricket, as desperate as it is to shed its pariah status and reacquaint itself with all of the major cricket playing nations, was being forced to "think again" about its offer.

Pakistan match-fixing claims: South African players concerned about upcoming series - Telegraph

 

[silent hill]

just heard the news, pak south african series is in jeopardy

pakistan cricket shou;d be finished and all the money should be used for flood relief, enough is enough

 

[Super Falcon]

we should call of the tour of this *** **** south africans who run by BCCI and we all know what south africans are real indian lovers so better of ask them not to come and play we dont care about them with the all probleums they are doing this with us better of show them our back rather than they show us their back

 

[Skeptic]

we should call of the tour of this *** **** south africans who run by BCCI and we all know what south africans are real indian lovers so better of ask them not to come and play we dont care about them with the all probleums they are doing this with us better of show them our back rather than they show us their back

Lo ji ab South Africa se bhi naraazgi ho gayi aapki...

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

Pakistani players clear the drug test. Pakistani Cricket survives another attack to isolate them from the world

 

[Hyde]

Pakistani players clear the drug test. Pakistani Cricket survives another attack to isolate them from the world

Thanks for this news!!!
source please?

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

LONDON: FOUR PAKISTANI CRICKETERS CLEAR DOPE TESTS: SHAFQAT RANA (Geo.TV)

 

[mjnaushad]

Thanks for this news!!!
source please?

I heard it on Geo.....Confirmed source.

 

[Pk_Thunder]

Yawar Saeed resigns as manager Pak cricket team
​

Updated at: 1433 PST, Tuesday, September 21, 2010
LONDON: Manager Pakistan cricket team Yawar Saeed has resigned from his job after Pakistan the fourth One-day International played against England here at Lord’s on Monday.

However, Yawar will officiate as manager in the fifth and the final match scheduled to be played at Southampton on Wednesday.

 

[s90]

Everyone and his dog​

Warne & Waugh speaking to media after admitting to receiving millions of dollars from bookies for disclosing match and weather information.



Three weeks after the scandal first broke out, there is little change in the ground position. Everything said and shown from day one remains what they are: allegations. There is, indeed, the likelihood that these allegations will turn out to be true, but the chance of that happening is as much as to the contrary. This simple rule applies globally on all allegations of all sorts. The ones at hand should have been no different.

In the previous column, we had discussed the reaction of our own people — basically of pundits interested in getting ahead of the game — that was bordering on misplaced self-righteousness. Let’s have a look today at the holier-than-thou behaviour of Englishmen.

Before we do that, let’s recall the basic assumption we made in the previous episode: the trio in question is actually corrupt and there is everything wrong in Pakistan Cricket, but this has yet to be proved. This discussion is not — repeat ‘not’ — an expression of denial, neither physical nor psychological. This is just about being rational in approach and treating such things in perspective.

Let’s begin with the first reaction that came at the end of the Lord’s Test, which was also the last day of the Test series and the very day on which the allegations had been made public by a tabloid of ill repute. The English cricket board shifted the end-of-series ceremony indoors and its chief refused to shake hands with Mohammad Amir, the Man of the Series. A very strong and graphic indicator of how much weight the board accords to matters of ethics in sports.

But while the board found it below its dignity to deal with the accused, was its behaviour consistent with what it has been in the case of some of the convicts — yes, convicts, not accused? Former English captain Michael Atherton, for instance, was convicted in that infamous ‘dirt-in-the-pocket’ scandal, wasn’t he? He was caught cheating by live cameras on the field. He pleaded guilty, paid the fine and life moved on. He remained the captain and he is pursuing a career as cricket commentator, but none of it bothers the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB).

There are other convicts as well with whom the EWCB has been on wonderful terms. Remember Mark Waugh and Shane Warne? They admitted to taking money from the bookies, paid the fine and moved on. Warne, for good measure, also served a ban for substance abuse, but the board never found a reason or an occasion to distance itself from the player. Going a step further, that sounds a wee bit strange.

What about Herschelle Gibbs and Nike Boje? The South African duo not only paid penalties, but even refused to tour India as they feared immediate arrest on arrival because of their links with the bookies. Yet the EWCB never hesitated to play host to them. Interesting, isn’t it?

And, not to forget, even today it has as its bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, the man who was named and fined alongside Wasim Akram and everybody else in one of the most exhaustive match-fixing investigations ever.

Besides, the EWCB also did not find anything wrong in its embarrassing dealings with Allen Stanford who created 11 individual millionaires through winning a single match, which by far remains an unprecedented payday for a team sport. It is another story that most of these ‘millionaires’ were talked into re-investing the money in Stanford’s private bank and subsequently lost every penny because the man soon found himself languishing in prison against a $8 billion financial scam. The deal had gone through despite the furore in the media and other circles forewarning the EWCB where the lust for money was leading it to.

Having been comfortable in its dealings with all kinds of convicted cheats — ball-tampering, spot-fixing, match-fixing, substance abuse, financial fraudsters and all — the EWCB practised blatant double standards when it came to shaking hands with an accused.

There have been others — like, say, Atherton and Nasser Hussain — who have been pleading the case of Amir. “Spare the kid … he is just 18 … such a huge talent … he is from a village and was trapped,” they have been saying on air and in their writings. While it sounds very positive to many Pakistani ears, the impression it is generating is pretty damaging. When they say ‘spare the kid’, it implies that the kid in question is guilty.

The reaction such pleas have generated can be seen from what a senior British columnist recently wrote. “There is no tangled web of intrigue behind this story … Don’t for one minute give me all the bull about impoverished backgrounds and peer pressure,” he wrote.

See, everyone and his dog has already announced the verdict. Even though he has written it for an entirely different purpose, let’s quote some of his words without that malicious context. “Rich or poor, Pakistani or English, the difference between good and bad remains the same. The difference between moral and immoral does not have any class caveats, does not have any financial code … These guys were willing to cheat.”

These guys may well have been willing to cheat, but what about those who confessed to the crime and yet retained their honour in British eyes?

DAWN.COM | Magazine | Straight talk: Everyone and his dog

 

[Rajababu]

Darrell Hair terms Pak players 'cheats, frauds and liars'


Read on. It seems to be getting better and better.

Hair terms Pak players 'cheats, frauds and liars'