Spot-fixing/Match-fixing scandal

[rafay321]

obviously you want to say it's india which is the base for bookies. to put it in a simple way, bookies are like non state actors. they don't operate within the system. one has to be strong enough not fall prey to these guys evil web. hey! you don't give them the business, they will have to shut their shop one day!!

Agreed. Also i hope you will start understanding the nature of Non-state actors and stop blaming the State of Pakistan for things the state has not done.

 

[JanjaWeed]

Agreed. Also i hope you will start understanding the nature of Non-state actors and stop blaming the State of Pakistan for things the state has not done.

lol.. how did i know that this is goin to come?? peace..

 

[U-571]

did you know Mazhar Majeed is a millionaire himself and lives in a huge house in upper England, im sure he has enough money to post his bail, the RAW dint do it lol

i would support all these bharati scums to be banned asap!!!

 

[SMC]

Can the bhartis please stop giving so much attention to conspiracy theories and those who disagree with the story. Only a few people are disagreeing or making conspiracy theories yet bhartis seem to be discussing that half the time. It ain't a big deal. Bhartis seem to be trying to get the best mileage out of this. Very few people are talking about it, yet they try to show everyone is talking about it.

 

[Aslan]

We as Pakistanis need to get rid of the guilt and stand up! Stand tall and wait for the complete details to come in front of us. There are many iffs and buts and based of just those, shady info, not so clear vid's, no date no time we are ready to lynch our guys. Who are we trying to please here. Its like we are saying that after all these years of being accused of wrong doings which were never proved we are tired and are ready to just throw in the towel. And this is what the other side needs. We are ready to deal with these guys but let the proof come out, proof with out any reasonable doubt to convict these guys till then every one who wants our players to be banned for life can take a hike. And to our indian friends here who are so desperately trying to convince us, guess what have you forgotten the shenanigans pulled by IPL chief, and how your board has just swept the whole thing under the carpet. So when ones own house is so f!lthy one shouldn't comment on others hygiene.

 

[rafay321]

lol.. how did i know that this is goin to come?? peace..

I couldnt resist ..peace


Guys stop bringing in INDIA into this. Please. Totally un-related. This is the work of NOTW and our great players. Someone between these two is the culprit.

 

[Awesome]

Indians are being so dismissive of anybody asking for proof as conspiracy theorists. Dude, forget the theories who was behind what, the allegation has yet not been proven after so many days.

Give me the source media storage and I will give you a fairly accurate analysis of when the video was shot. It's Computer Forensics 101. You get open source software out there that can do the bulk of the heavy lifting for you and will give a scientific base of saying this video was shot, when.

There is not a single word being uttered on the validity of the video by the media, just "Lynch the Pakistanis, lynch the Pakistanis". Are we back to the witch hunt days?

 

[Jackdaws]

Indians are being so dismissive of anybody asking for proof as conspiracy theorists. Dude, forget the theories who was behind what, the allegation has yet not been proven after so many days.

Give me the source media storage and I will give you a fairly accurate analysis of when the video was shot. It's Computer Forensics 101. You get open source software out there that can do the bulk of the heavy lifting for you and will give a scientific base of saying this video was shot, when.

There is not a single word being uttered on the validity of the video by the media, just "Lynch the Pakistanis, lynch the Pakistanis". Are we back to the witch hunt days?

It would be naive to assume that the Metropolitan police did not verify the authenticity of videos before making arrests.

 

[Tayyab1796]

We as Pakistanis need to get rid of the guilt and stand up! Stand tall and wait for the complete details to come in front of us. There are many iffs and buts and based of just those, shady info, not so clear vid's, no date no time we are ready to lynch our guys. Who are we trying to please here. Its like we are saying that after all these years of being accused of wrong doings which were never proved we are tired and are ready to just throw in the towel. And this is what the other side needs. We are ready to deal with these guys but let the proof come out, proof with out any reasonable doubt to convict these guys till then every one who wants our players to be banned for life can take a hike. And to our indian friends here who are so desperately trying to convince us, guess what have you forgotten the shenanigans pulled by IPL chief, and how your board has just swept the whole thing under the carpet. So when ones own house is so f!lthy one shouldn't comment on others hygiene.

bro the problem is accused players should come forward in the media and say we are innocent 'loud and clear' the way they are hiding behind curtains is making matters worse for them . PCB chief should say to the world 'loud and clear' we are holding an inquiry immediately and if found guilty the 'board chairman' should resign as well . Once while studying management i read
'Responsiblity flows upwards and authority flows downwards' I HOPE we will follow it in Pak and not the otherway round.

 

[Super Falcon]

kamran akmal is a big pain with salman butt if even they are not in match fixing they should be thrown out forever speacially kamran what he is in the team for missed catches keep getting out on ducks what is the use of him

 

[Speaker]

If anything is proven conclusively, I want to see these 3 (and anyone guilty) to be kicked out of the national team. I am not sure of life bans, but am certainly against the death penalty (most ridiculous suggestion ever heard!)

Looking at the part in bold, I am quite disturbed that people are desperate to see some "justice" being delivered (read: players found guilty). In the event that they are actually proven innocent, what would all these writers do?

'Insufficient evidence' against Majeed, fears UK anti-corruption chief | Cricket News | England v Pakistan 2010 | Cricinfo.com

The chairman of a UK commission set up to investigate the threat of gambling-related corruption in sport has told Cricinfo he believes there will be insufficient evidence for police to press charges against Mazhar Majeed, the alleged fixer who was caught on camera accepting money from an undercover reporter in a News of the World sting.

Rick Parry, the former chief executive of Liverpool Football Club, told Cricinfo's Switch Hit podcast that, despite a dossier of apparently damning evidence - including video footage of Majeed appearing to correctly predict the timing of three no-balls bowled by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir during the first two days of the Lord's Test - the case was likely to flounder unless evidence of illegal betting activity was found to back up the claims.

"I don't think [the case] has any evidence at all," said Parry. "Unless the News of the World placed a bet - which would be highly unlikely because in so doing they would have carried out a criminal act - then there doesn't appear to be any betting activity at all associated with these particular allegations. It places the ball, to pardon the pun, squarely back into the hands of the cricket authorities."

Under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005, which made cheating in sport for financial gain a criminal activity in the UK, it had been hoped that the very fact that these latest allegations had taken place in the country would help to carry them forward into the courts, and lead to a high-profile case that could act as a deterrent to others who might be tempted into similar wrongdoing.

However, Parry said that until such time that further evidence was unearthed, the greater onus would have to fall on cricket's governing bodies to live up to their promise, reiterated by the ICC's chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, on Monday, to take "prompt and decisive action" against anyone found guilty of match-fixing.

"The ICC is very much in the spotlight on this one, and so it can't afford not to [act]," he said. "When you see the publicity like we've had over the last couple of days, there can't be a single reason not to take the right action, because it's the reputation of the sport at stake, and nothing can be more important than that. Everyone connected with sport - participants and spectators - have a basic right to believe that sport is clean and that everyone is doing their best, because that goes right to the root of what's good about sport."

Parry did, however, credit the ICC for taking a lead among sporting governing bodies in attempting to police corruption its own issues, but added that more effort clearly needed to be put into the education of its young players, particularly in light of Amir's alleged involvement in the Lord's furore.

"I think one of the great sadnesses of all of this, and it's a widely held view, is that a great young talent like Amir has been implicated in this one," said Parry. "I think that's what perhaps separates this from many other cases, because it suggests that the bad guys got to him before the good guys did. One of the fundamental recommendations of our panel, along with disciplinary measures and sanctions, is that it's absolutely fundamental to have education processes in place, so that players and participants are taught from a very, very young age, first of all what the rules mean, so that there can be no excuses, and secondly that they are vulnerable to outside influences."

"To be fair to cricket, at ICC level they have taken very significant steps," he added. "They were one of the first sports to set up a proper integrity unit, in the wake of previous major issues such as Hansie Cronje scandal, so I don't think it can be said that the cricket authorities have done nothing. But in terms of educating the players, it could be that they've not done enough. It would have to be a shock that a talent that has broken onto the scene so very, very quickly is at the centre of all this.

"He'd have been enrolled in a cricket academy from a young age, and from the moment he shot to prominence with the international squad, you'd think that the Pakistan Cricket Board might have recognised a vulnerability and a need to put an arm around him. I can't imagine it would have been that difficult to do, because when you read of the sums involved in betting in the Far East - with up to $500 million on a single game - the temptation is potentially there for relatively lowly paid cricketers. It's beholden upon the authorities to step in and provide appropriate support systems."

 

[MastanKhan]

It would be naive to assume that the Metropolitan police did not verify the authenticity of videos before making arrests.

Hi,

Please kindly don't dwell on that thought---have you already forgotten the brazilian kid that the british secret police executed by mistake---and at first they were arrogant and never admitted mistake.

You know what happens when you as-s ume---you make an as-s of u and me.

 

[Awesome]

I think the gambling cartel in India should be busted as it seems to be behind orchestrating most match fixing cases.

BBC Sport - Cricket - Shane Watson & Brad Haddin 'approached' by bookmaker

Australian duo Shane Watson and Brad Haddin have alleged that they were approached by an Indian bookmaker last year while playing in England.
Watson says he was invited for a drink while on the Ashes tour while Haddin was targeted during the World Twenty20.

"It happened a couple of times in London and I just went and told [team manager] Steve Bernard," said Watson.

The claims come as British police investigate four Pakistan players over allegations of spot-fixing.

Sunday tabloid newspaper the News of the World alleges that two of Pakistan's players deliberately bowled three no-balls as part of a betting scam in last week's Test match against England at Lord's.

Captain Salman Butt, bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal are the quartet being questioned.

All-rounder Watson, 29, insists he was not specifically asked to alter the result of a match during the 2009 Ashes series in England and that while his conversations with an Indian man had been friendly, he thought it best to report his encounter to Bernard.

"It was an Indian fan, or that's what I thought it was, who knew a lot about me and what I did in the Indian Premier League and was only too kind with his praise about how I've been playing and he enjoyed the way I played," said Watson
"I actually didn't think too much more of it apart from I should talk to Bernard to let him know there's one guy who's probably a little bit more intense who was staying in our hotel.

"And I didn't think too much more of it until I found out a bit more information that he was actually one of the illegal bookmakers that was trying to get involved."

However, Watson admitted to having some sympathy for 18-year-old Amir, who took six England wickets at Lord's.

"When I first heard about it I was in complete shock," he added.

"Especially Amir who I do have a lot of respect for as the way he plays on the field. I probably feel for him more than anyone because he's only a naive and innocent young guy.

"If the allegations are true they will get a life ban which for someone like Amir, who is at the start of his career, would be extremely disappointing."

Haddin too alerted Bernard after an Indian man went to his room during the World Twenty20 tournament in 2009.

"I got a knock on my door from someone asking if I wanted to come across to their room to have a drink, which I thought was a bit odd," he said.

"I quickly rang Steve Bernard and John Rhodes (who manages the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security unit in Australia and New Zealand) to tell them something weird had just happened.

"I think they checked footage of who the person was and it was someone that they were well aware of. I'd never seen the person (before) or never heard from him or seen him since."

Former Australian pace bowler Geoff Lawson, who was Pakistan coach in 2007-08, has offered words of support for three of the accused.

Writing in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald, he said: "I had a lot to do with Mohammad Asif and he was always missing training sessions to look after his sick mother.

"He has spent a lot of his money looking after his family.

"If Salman Butt is involved in any match-fixing, I would be absolutely stunned.
"He is a very intelligent, polite guy and has done well since taking over the team.
"It would be the greatest tragedy if a young man like Amir has been led astray."
Australia captain Ricky Ponting, writing in his column for The Australian newspaper, added: "We know what to do and we do it.

"We let the team manager know straight away and the ICC is informed from there. You have to be so careful with everything you do now, everyone you meet, everywhere you go."

Australia's Mark Waugh and Shane Warne were fined in 1995 for taking money from an Indian bookmaker in exchange for information on pitch and weather conditions during a tour to Sri Lanka.

Players from South Africa, India and Pakistan were banned from international cricket in the game's more recent match-fixing scandals.

 

[Awesome]

Scotland Yard finds no solid evidence of match fixing

Man the entire world must apologize for its rude and abrasive comments then. Myself included, I've been quite harsh to these players myself in a knee-jerk reaction.

LONDON: The Lords Cricket Test match fixing scandal has entered its final and dramatic phase, with the Scotland Yard’s investigation team failing to find any concrete evidence of match fixing.

Responsible and reliable sources of Scotland Yard had informed on Tuesday that despite ‘the video and other proofs’ as provided by the British tabloid, no credibility has been so far established regarding the scandal so far.

Hence there have been no proofs that the main scandalous and shadowy character of match fixer, Mazhar Majeed ever had any contacts with fast bowlers Muhammad Asif or Muhammad Aamir.

Besides the video provided to Scotland Yard also fails to display the usual time and date formats as depicted in any such videos. Sources have informed that Scotland Yard feels that all no balls by Pakistani team during the Lords Test Match were delivered quite well before they were inducted in the video tape by the notorious Match fixer. However the video was closely scrutinized by Scotland Yard foe further evidences.

Can I say, I told you so?

Sources have also expressed that Scotland Yard was also toying with the notion of a possible trap laid and executed by the notorious British tabloid, of indulging in false reporting in a bid to soil the name of Pakistani team.

It is also doubtful that the alleged notes as displayed (having dubious denominations) were really UK pounds 10,000 at all!

Replying to a question, sources informed that first information, lists and other proofs provided to Scotland Yard, claiming that Pakistani players did possess 1,50,000 UKL at all: a prize Scotland Yard and British police desperately sought during their joint raid. Other objects recovered from the rooms of the players also failed to yield any results or credible proofs.

Investigators were also trying to solve the mystery, as to why the notorious British tabloid had published the report two days later, as the no-balls of Pakistani players were conducted on the (very same) second day of the test match.

This is huge if true and once Scotland Yard makes it official, Pakistan better tear a new one to all the people who wanted lynch Pakistan. However now that the book on Match fixing has been opened again, the investigations should not stop and the real culprits should be nabbed.

 

[SpArK]

Trio leave Pakistan cricket squad to face authorities


By Julian Guyer (AFP) – 1 hour ago
TAUNTON, England — The three Pakistan players embroiled in betting scam allegations were to leave the squad Wednesday to face cricket and government authorities, de facto sidelining them from the team.
Test captain Salman Butt, plus bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif, were to leave Pakistan's training camp in Taunton, southwest England, and head to London for a meeting with officials.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it will not suspend them while the allegations are being investigated, though their date in London means they are set to miss the next match, effectively deferring the highly contentious decision over whether they should play on.
Pakistan are due to face county side Somerset in Taunton on Thursday in a warm-up match ahead of their limited overs internationals against England.
Butt, Aamer and Asif are set to miss out as they head for talks with PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner (ambassador) to Britain.
It is thought the three players will not rejoin the squad until Friday at the earliest.
It appears increasingly likely that they will play no further part in the tour.
Following the Somerset warm-up, Pakistan face two Twenty20 matches against England in Cardiff on Sunday and Tuesday, then five one-day internationals.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has promised "prompt and decisive action" if the "spot-fixing" allegations made by Britain's biggest-selling newspaper are proven.
Customs officials in Britain said they had arrested and bailed two men and a woman on Sunday "as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering". A source confirmed the arrests were linked to the cricket scandal.
They were a man and a woman, both aged 35 and from Croydon in south London, and a 49-year-old man from Wembley in northwest London.
"These individuals were arrested, questioned and have been bailed pending further investigation," Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs said in a statement.
The News of the World tabloid alleges that Mazhar Majeed, a 35-year-old Croydon-based agent for several Pakistan players, took 150,000 pounds (185,000 euros, 230,000 dollars) to arrange for deliberate no-balls to be bowled at precise points in the final Test match against England in London last week.
The information would be of enormous value to the spot-betting industry, where money is wagered on specific incidents in matches.
The weekly newspaper produced audiovisual footage of their dealings with Majeed on their website and printed conversation transcripts and pictures.
Majeed was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in the wake of the allegations, but was released on bail without charge on Sunday, to return on a future date.
Detectives interviewed Butt, Asif and 18-year-old prodigy Aamer, who delivered the no-balls -- normally an accidental and unpredictable occurrence -- and police seized their mobile phones.
Pakistan held a training session at the County Ground in Taunton on Tuesday, but reporters were barred on the request of the Pakistan team.
Somerset chief executive Richard Gould told AFP: "I think in these particular circumstances, we understand."
The world of cricket has reacted with shock and dismay to claims that huge sums of money had changed hands in alleged fixing schemes at international level, linked to shadowy betting rings.
Investigators from the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit are in Britain looking into the allegations.
Meanwhile former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson said that while the poverty and violence in the country made corruption understandable, "that does not make it acceptable."
He said a selector once told him if a certain player was not picked, his own daughter would be kidnapped.
"These things are part of everyday life in Pakistan," he wrote in The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"When a player is accused of taking money, it could be a case of sheer greed. Or they might want the money to pay for a new generator in their home village.
"Or they might even have been threatened with violence against themselves or a member of their family."
The Australian said Asif was "easily led astray, but even so, as a senior player he should know better than to get involved in 'spot-fixing'.
"If he is shown to be guilty, there should be no sympathy for him."