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Cricket Special
London September 3:
International Cricket Council (ICC) night charged three tainted Pakistan players under its anti-corruption code in the wake of the match-fixing scandal that has stunned cricket world.
A statement issued by the ICC confirmed that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been charged with “various offences under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel relating to alleged irregular behaviour during, and in relation to, the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s last month”, the Cricinfo reported.
It said the trio have been officially notified of the offences they are alleged to have committed and have been provisionally suspended pending a decision on those charges. In accordance with the provisions of the code, this means they are immediately barred from participating in all cricket and related activities until the case has been concluded.
“The players have a right to contest this provisional suspension and a further opportunity to defend these charges at a full hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal in accordance with Article 5 of the code. The players have 14 days from their receipt of the charge sheet to indicate their desire for a hearing,” the statement said. “We will not tolerate corruption in cricket,” ICC’s Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said, adding that “we must be decisive with such matters and if proven, these offences carry serious penalties up to a life ban.”
“The ICC will do everything possible to keep such conduct out of the game and we will stop at nothing to protect the sport’s integrity. While we believe the problem is not widespread, we must always be vigilant. “It is important, however, that we do not pre-judge the guilt of these three players. That is for the independent tribunal alone to decide,” he said. The alleged offences against Pakistani players, if proved, would involve the imposition of a ban on them. There is also a possibility, at the discretion of the independent tribunal, that a fine would be imposed in addition to a ban.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Mumbai September 3:
The Governing Council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is to meet here on September 5 and is expected to take a decision on the match schedule for the expanded 2011 season, involving 10 franchise.
"The IPL Governing Council is meeting on Sunday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The draft schedule for the 2011 season is to be finalised at the meeting, including number of matches," BCCI sources told reporters. "The meeting will also finalise player regulations, approve player contracts and registration of player contracts," they added.
The previous meeting on August 20 could not complete this process as the entire time was taken up in discussing the accounts for the 2009-10 season. No proposal was tabled at that meeting about the number of matches in IPL-IV, involving two additional teams - Sahara Warriors of Pune and Kochi.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Kolkata September 3:
Former India captain Kapil Dev urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to act quickly on "spot fixing" scam in London and clear doubts before further damage was done to Pakistan cricket.
"I'm very sad for Pakistan cricket. I'm very sad for the Pakistani cricketers. They have given the world some wonderful cricket. "They have produced wonderful cricketers. I urge upon the ICC to investigate the matter and if players are found guilty punish them severely," Kapil Dev said in reference to the three tainted Pakistani players- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.
Captain Butt and two pace bowlers Asif and Amir have been allegedly involved in "spot fixing" scam in the last Test against England at Lord's. Earlier during the day, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had dropped the trio from the T20 matches in England. "There will always be bad people, may be 2 per cent. But the remaining 98 per cent are good people involved in the wonderful game of cricket," the 51-year-old cricketing great, who gave India the World Cup in 1983, said.
Kapil Dev also urged former Pakistan captain turned politician Imran Khan to take up responsibility and hold the reigns of that country's cricket as Pakistan has given the world the finest cricketers, who elevated the game tremendously. "Imran Khan was the finest captain and cricketer I have ever seen in the game," Kapil Dev, who was here to inaugurate a chess tournament at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, said.
"Why do you give so much coverage to bad things when the majority in cricket are good people," he said and lambasted trial by the media on three tainted players. "Only the ICC has the real authority to judge and if the players are found guilty punish them so that no wrong message goes to the younger people," Kapil Dev said.
"Barring the ICC no one should judge whether the players were wrong or right as trial by others would only damage the game", Kapil Dev, who was also dragged unsuccessfully in match fixing, said. "I want all positive things of life. And cricket has given me everything. So I want all positive things about cricket," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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London September 3:
Pakistan High Commissioner Wajad S Hasan said that the country will defend its three cricketers accused of the no-ball conspiracy as they maintain they are 'innocent'.
Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir were questioned on Thursday at the High Commission by members of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Hasan read out a statement saying the men maintained their innocence but had requested their own removal from the remaining matches because of the "mental torture" they had faced.
"They will not run away from England and will stay in the country for as long as they're needed for questioning," he said. "I believe in their innocence. Because they have not been proven guilty. The players are extremely disturbed with what has happened in the past week".
The Pakistani team manager, Yawar Saeed, said earlier that the players would miss all remaining matches of the tour. Replacements will be called up for the five-match one-day series against England but not for the two Twenty20 matches. The players' removal from the squad will come as a relief for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), who will be hoping the move takes the heat off the rest of the tour and stems any protests by fans.
Giles Clarke, ECB chairman and chairman of the ICC's Pakistan taskforce, welcomed the announcement that the players would play no further part and said he hoped the remaining matches would be played in a "competitive spirit". "I look forward to working with Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, and Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and everyone involved in Pakistani cricket in taking forward cricket in Pakistan so that a proper plan exists for the whole of Pakistani cricket," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Kolkata September 3:
Sourav Ganguly said he had never been approached by any bookie during his stint as Indian captain, even as the world cricket is rocked by 'spot-fixing' involving Pakistani cricketers.
"Three former India captains -- Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble -- too were never approached and such a situation was beyond their imagination," Ganguly told a media. Urging the cricketers to be responsible, Ganguly said the International Cricket Council (ICC) was not a policing body and could not have a constant watch on the players.
"ICC is not a police station, it has some set of laws. If those are violated, they will take action. Nothing is foolproof," the 38-year-old said. Referring to the 'spot-fixing' scam, Ganguly said "In our playing days, we could hardly believe such a thing. During my captaincy, betting issue used to figure in the discussions with Tendulkar, Dravid, Kumble and me. But nobody could dare approach us.
"May be they (the bookies) judge players by their characters before making the move. I can never in my life believe that this may happen. The captain and his boys have a role to play, they must act responsibly," Ganguly said. He further said those found guilty in the spot-fixing' scandal should be "heavily punished".
Without naming the accused -- Pakistan Test skipper Salman Butt and pacer duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer -- the left-hander said," we should wait for the outcome." "The guilty should be heavily punished. These are all allegations, there is no proof yet. We should not make comments," he said. "Not just Pakistan is involved. I hear players from Australia and Bangladesh have been approached.
It boils down to the players, it's their as well as captain's responsibility. They are playing as an individual, they should take responsibility," Ganguly said. Pakistan's Test skipper Butt and pacers Asif and Aamer are facing a Scotland Yard investigation over their alleged involvement in a betting scam "exposed" by a British tabloid's sting operation.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Taunton September 2:
Under pressure from the ICC and England Cricket Board, Pakistan today dropped the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir from the Twenty20 and one-day series against England starting Sunday.
The three are implicated in a 'spot-fixing' scandal "exposed" in a British tabloid's sting operation last week. Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said the players, who are in London to present their case to Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ijaz Butt and the High Commission officials, will not play the two Twenty20 and five one-day matches this month.
"We are 13 this morning and it will remain the same. We have asked for replacements for the three players who have gone. We will remain 13 for the first two Twenty20 matches," Saeed told reporters here.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Melbourne September 2:
Australian spin legend Shane Warne and former England coach Duncan Fletcher today joined the growing clamour for life bans on Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir if they are found guilty of 'spot-fxing'.
Pakistan's Test skipper Butt and pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad are facing a Scotland Yard investigation over their alleged involvement in a betting scam "exposed" by a British tabloid's sting operation.
Warne, who was himself fined for sharing information with a bookie in 1994, said if found guilty, the Pakistani players deserve nothing less then a life ban. "If it is true and they have been found (guilty of) match-fixing and throwing games and spot betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that's the case they should be thrown out," Warne was quoted as saying in media reports here.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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London September 2:
Pakistan's tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir could play in the upcoming ODI series against England despite facing allegations of 'spot-fixing' after PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said that unless charged, the three are "free to do whatever they want."
Butt said the trio, implicated in a spot-fixing scandal "exposed" by a British tabloid last week, could play in the two Twenty20s and five one-dayers starting Sunday.
"They will miss the first match and then we will see what will happen in the future," Butt told 'BBC Sports'. "They will be free to play immediately, not only in the one-day series. As far as we are concerned, unless they are charged they are free to do whatever they want," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Taunton September 1:
Pakistan’s trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — at the centre of match-fixing allegations — left here for London on Wednesday for what are seen as a series of crucial meetings with diplomatic and Pakistan Cricket Board officials on Thursday.
Aamir smiled as he got into a car parked in front of their hotel here and Butt also looked relaxed. They were followed by Asif and the three left here for London at around 11.00 a.m. Their meetings were scheduled to be held on Wednesday but were pushed to Thursday, Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed revealed. He did not give any reason for the delay.
It effectively rules out the participation of the three players in Pakistan’s only warm-up match against Somerset at the County Ground in Taunton on Thursday, before the one-day series against England. Butt, Pakistan’s Test captain, and fast bowlers Asif and Aamir are at the centre of a spot-fixing scandal that was triggered by a few no-balls bowled by the pacers during last week’s fourth and final Test between Pakistan and England at Lord’s.
While the three players left for London, their teammates held their second training session in the lead up to the series that will begin with a Twenty20 international in Cardiff on Sunday.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Melbourne September 1:
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson on Wednesday blamed the International Cricket Council for the `spot-fixing` scandal that has rocked the game, saying the world body`s anti-corruption unit is "not really working".
Watson, who has confirmed being approached by an Indian bookmaker during last year`s Ashes in England, said it was disappointing to see a newspaper sting exposed what should have actually been handled by the ICC. "The ICC anti-corruption unit is not really working," he said in Sydney today.
"That`s totally to do with the ICC, so they really need to step in and really get to the bottom of it. Maybe they don`t want to get to the bottom of it because it might run too deep," he added. Watson said if the ICC does not act "as soon as possible", credibility of the game may be lost forever as far as the fans concerned. "People might turn away from cricket because they don`t know (whether) what they are seeing is actually the true facts of cricket," he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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New Delhi September 1:
With investigators closing in on former Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi's links with an alleged payoff in terms of a facilitation fee paid to the Mauritius-based World Sports Group (WSG), the fallen T20 czar seems to be avoiding repeated income tax summons.
Modi has left for London and is staying out of reach of a probe that could be getting too hot for him. His non-compliance may have been triggered by the questioning of his close associates, including secretary Deepa Palekar in Mumbai last week. Palekar was asked about a payment of nearly Rs 80 crore made in the purchase of a private jet.
Sources said an I-T probe has been able to link the aircraft purchase - extensively used by Modi as his private transport - to the Rs 425 crore "facilitation fee" paid to WSG by Multi Screen Media (MSM), formerly Sony Entertainment TV, for media rights of IPL matches. It is understood that Sony has given evidence of a payment it believes should have been made to BCCI.
The "payoff" was part of renegotiation of IPL's TV rights contract with MSM. WSG was given the rights for 10 years with a bid of $918 million. Following a dispute, WSG's contract with MSM was scrapped. The question arose as to why after renegotiation, MSM paid $80 million or Rs 425 crore to WSG.
The I-T probe found WSG had only $1 as share capital. It had entered into a back-to-back deal with MSM where Modi allegedly played a vital role in negotiation. This is a major breakthrough in IPLgate probe with first links of an alleged payoff of Rs 100 crore being sourced to the beneficiaries.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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New Delhi September 1:
International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the governing body will take action against the players found guilty in the 'spot-fixing' scam before they take to the field in the current tour of England.
"We are working to gather evidence with the Police and the United Kingdom. We are very determined to bring to book any perpetrator or any player found to be corrupt," Lorgat said. "But this is a moving hour. It is a difficult process.
These are allegations that have been labelled and charges which are serious ones. "We will do utmost to ensure that before any of the players, who are found to be guilty actually takes the field of play, are brought to book," he told reporters.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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London/Karachi September 1:
In a dramatic twist to the 'spot-fixing' scandal that has rocked world cricket, three tainted Pakistan players -- Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif -- were today barred from practice at Taunton and asked to return to London for a meeting with top Pakistan officials.
The development came amid intense speculation that the three players, who find themselves at the center of the scandal, could be suspended by the PCB which has come under increasing pressure from their English counterparts to take strict action against the cricketers.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said that the three players did not have nets with the rest of the team because they were preparing for a meeting at the Pakistan High Commission in London today.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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New Delhi September 1:
Former Team India skippers Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid and badminton legend Prakash Padukone will be among the sport stars who will welcome the Queen's Baton Relay for the Delhi Commonwealth Games to Bangalore.
Besides, others who will participate in the relay include cricketing legends GR Vishwanath, Karnataka's first Olympian Kenneth Powell, Dronacharya Award winning boxer Captain M Venu and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi.
Asian Games hockey gold medalist Sabu Varkey and Arjuna Awardees Chetan Baboor (table tennis), Nisha Millet (swimming), Reeth Abraham (athletics) and Ashwini Nachappa (athletics) will also be among those participating. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will receive the baton along with the state Olympic Association President K Govindraj.
The baton will travel to Hassan on September 4 and then to Mangalore before concluding its Karnataka journey at Karwar. It then reaches Panjim in Goa on September 7.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
September
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Mumbai August 31:
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.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 31,
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London August 30:
Cash exceeding their daily allowance was recovered from the hotel rooms of the Pakistani cricketers implicated in the "spot fixing" scandal during a raid conducted by the Scotland Yard here.
"Mr (Yawar) Saeed received a phone call at the team's hotel in Swiss Cottage, north London, at about 7.30pm telling him that two police officers were waiting to see him. Police spent two hours searching rooms, including that of Mr Butt and several players, before confiscating the phones of the captain and Aamer and Asif," a report in the 'The Independent' said.
"Officers also found large numbers of bank notes in the rooms of unnamed players which exceeded the daily maintenance payment made to the cricketers by their employers. It is not known if these bank notes relate to the allegations," it said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 30,
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Melbourne August 30:
Australian spinner Nathan Hauritz was shocked to learn about involvement of Pakistani players in alleged match fixing during this year's Sydney Test, which may overshadow his match winning performance.
After surfacing of allegations that Pakistani players were involved in 'spot fixing', captain Salman Butt has refused to answer allegations that his team deliberately lost the dramatic Sydney Test against Australia in January. The Pakistan team is in the midst of a betting scam, where fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are alleged to have bowled pre-arranged no-balls in the Lord's Test, which England won by an innings and 225 runs on Sunday.
Suspicion has long surrounded the Sydney match in which Australia pulled off a miraculous escape against a seemingly imploding Pakistan. Lord Condon, the then International Cricket Council's anti-corruption boss, indicated that he had grave concerns about the Sydney Test but was unable to pin down the players' motivation for under performing.
In the sting operation, Majeed detailed how corrupt punters got on Australia at 40/1 at the SCG in January - in the Test which always had a whiff of controversy after wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal dropped four catches, The Courier Mail reports. Majeed reveals that Pakistan batsmen threw away their wickets when they were bowled out for 139, chasing 176 against Australia in this year''s Sydney Test.
Australia off-spinner Hauritz, who bowled Australia to SCG victory with 5-53, was on Sunday night struggling to come to terms. "It's something that I wouldn't have imagined happening, but if it has it's a big shock. If this has happened, it is so disappointing for cricket around the world. I'd like to think that we still won that Test fair and square, on the back of our bowling attack on that final day," Hauritz said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 30,
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Mumbai August 30:
International Cricket Council President Sharad Pawar today said the allegations of 'spot-fixing' and 'match-fixing' against Pakistani cricketers are very serious but the ICC would wait for a report from the police in London before deciding on its course of action.
"Until and unless the process of investigation is over, it is improper for me to react," Pawar told reporters here. "We have discussed it within the ICC and have decided that let us wait for the police's investigation report. After that we have to take a viewpoint of the two Board, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board," he added.
Reacting to the scandal, which implicates captain Salman Butt, pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and three other unnamed players, Pawar said he does not make comments on what is essentially a media report.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 30,
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London August 30:
The visiting Pakistan cricket team was at the centre of a police investigation into allegations of match-fixing as a London-based Pakistani property developer was arrested after being secretly filmed accepting £150,000 from an undercover reporter.
The journalist posed himself as a middleman for a betting syndicate ahead of the Pakistan-England Test match at the Lord's on Thursday. Pakistan lost the match by an innings and 225 runs on Sunday – and with that the four-match series 3-1.
Footage from the film shows Mazhar Majeed (35) counting the money while telling the reporter of the News of the World that Pakistani bowlers would bowl three no-balls on the first day of the match on Thursday. Next day, three no-balls were bowled by Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif exactly at the times he predicted. The Scotland Yard confirmed Majeed's arrest on suspicion of “conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.''
“Following information received from the News of the World, we have... arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers,” it said in a statement. Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said four players, including captain Salman Butt, were interviewed by Scotland Yard officers. “Scotland Yard detectives visited the team hotel where they took statements from [captain] Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal,” he said.
The mobile phones of Aamir, Asif and Butt were taken away by the police. In a joint statement, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) denied speculation that any player or team official was arrested. According to News of the World, Pakistani players were bribed to bowl no-balls.
“In the most sensational sporting scandal ever, bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif delivered three blatant no-balls to order,'' it said in a front-page splash under the heading “Caught: Match-fixer trousers £150K as he rigs the England Test at Lord's.'' Majeed reportedly alleged that Butt and seven other Pakistani players were involved in match-fixing.
In a conversation, secretly filmed in a West London hotel, Majeed is seen and heard telling the reporter, “I'm going to give you three no-balls to prove to you firstly that this is what's happening. They've all been organised, okay? This is exactly what's going to happen, you're going to see these three things happen. I'm telling you, if you play this right you're going to make a lot of money, believe me!”
The newspaper said: “Having already trousered a £10,000 upfront deposit, which he insisted had gone to the stars, Majeed ... eagerly counted out the £140,000 balance in bundles of crisp £50 notes... In return for their suitcase of money Majeed then calmly detailed what would happen – and when – on the field of play next day, as a taster of all the lucrative information he could supply in future.''
At one stage Majeed reportedly boasted that “absolutely millions, millions” could be made by paying him up to £450,000 a time for information on matches, then placing bets on the fixed outcome. About the players, he said: “These poor boys need to. They're paid peanuts.” Butt told reporters that he and his team-mates had “given our best.” “I would say that everybody in this team has given 100 per cent,” he said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 30,
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Chennai August 30:
Indian cricket team returned here after losing in the final of the ODI tri-series in Sri Lanka. The cricketers arrived here this morning from Sri Lanka. All the players, except Dhoni, left for their respective hometown.
Dhoni, also the captain of the Indian Premier League team Chennai Super Kings, is expected to attend a felicitation function being organised by the IPL team, where Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan will be honoured for becoming the first cricketer to scalp 800 Test wickets.
The team today arrived under police security, as the security personnel escorted the members after they landed at the Chennai airport. On Saturday, a brilliant century by opener Tillakaratne Dilshan led Sri Lanka to register an emphatic 74-run win over India in the final. Dilshan slammed 12 fours and a six to help his team amass a total of 299 for eight after choosing to bat first.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 30,
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Sydney August 30:
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has questioned the strength of England's batting line-up ahead of the Ashes series Down Under.
"They have a couple of vulnerable players. There are a few cracks, and there will be guys looking over their shoulders," The Age quoted Ponting, as saying. "Alastair Cook saved his career with a second innings hundred [at the Oval against Pakistan] while [Kevin] Pietersen has not made a Test hundred in nearly 12 months, which is pretty remarkable when you consider the quality of player he is."
"Strauss has not made many runs in the last few games either while [Jonathan] Trott is reasonably new and they'll have a question mark at six as to whether they'll play [Eoin] Morgan or [Ian] Bell," he added. The 35-year-old also suggested that he is not particularly concerned by England's bowling attack. "Our home conditions will play a big part. The English rely on the ball swinging around a lot and that's where they came undone in Australia last time," Ponting said.
"The ball doesn't react the same way here as it does in certain parts of England so they'll have to learn to adapt that quickly," he added. The first of the five match series will be held at The Gabba in Brisbane from November 25 to 29. It will be followed by Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Two Twenty20 clashes and a seven-match one-day series have also been scheduled between Australia and England.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 30,
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Islamabad August 29:
Taking serious note of the 'spot-fixing' scandal that rocked Pakistan cricket team in the ongoing fourth Test against England in London, President Asif Ali Zardari today asked for an immediate preliminary report from PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt into the allegations.
The President's spokesman, Farhatullah Babar said in a statement that Zardari was disappointed over the media reports of fixing allegations against some Pakistani players. "The President, taking note of the reports, has directed that he should be kept posted about the developments as to what happened and what is the status of any inquiry that may have been ordered or held in London," he said. "The PCB chairman has been directed to immediately submit a preliminary report about the incident," he added in the statement.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 29,
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Dubai August 29:
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost his number one spot but opening batsman Virender Sehwag gained eight places to return to the top-10 at eighth in the ICC ODI rankings issued today.
India held on to the second spot in the team rankings despite losing the tri-series final to Sri Lanka last night. Sri Lanka, sixth before the series, are just behind India, and in front of South Africa, who drop to fourth, when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
New Zealand drop to sixth from fourth as Australia, at the top, and England, in fifth spot, remain unchanged. In individual rankings, Tillakaratne Dilshan broke into the top five of the batting chart.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 29,
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Dambulla August 29:
Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he has no complaints in his side`s tri-series summit clash loss to Sri Lanka here, saying that his batsmen let them down by not applying themselves.
"Out batsmen failed again. We got the starts but did not spend enough time in the middle. If we had batsmen to bat all the overs we could have chased down the target. We should have played the remaining four five overs," Dhoni said after his side`s 74-run loss to Sri Lanka here.
"It is sad we lost today. But credit to Sri Lanka they played better cricket today. They batted and bowled well. They have been playing some good cricket throughout the series. The side which played better cricket on that day should win. I have no complaints," added Dhoni whose sequence of four consecutive series triumphs on Sri Lankan soil ended.
Dhoni said his side were also found short on other two departments of the game though the batting failure cost them the most. "We could have done better in fielding and bowling also. Our bowlers gave Sri Lankan batsmen a bit of width and that`s one thing you don`t want to do to Tillakaratne Dilshan. He smashed us all around the park. In contrast, their bowlers bowled really well and kept the pressure on us," said Dhoni. The youngsters in the team failed to impress but Dhoni felt they must have learnt a lot from this tri-series.
"They must have learnt a lot from this tournament. The conditions in Dambulla is something which you don`t get in the sub-continenet. So in a way it was a good learning curve for them," he said. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said his side had an all-round performance in the final. "It was a good toss to win. The way the openers batted -- we talked a lot about getting through the first 10 overs. Mahela (Jayawardene) and Dilshan started well. Dilshan continued to bat really well," he said.
"Thisara Perera lengthens our batting but his bowling has been very impressive in the last couple of games. Champaka Ramanayake has to take a lot of credit. He has done a great job with the fast bowlers. The discipline in line and length has been the real key for us," said Sangaakkara. Man-of-the-Match Dilshan said he was happy to score big today after failing to convert the starts he got in the last three innings.
"The last three innings I got a start but didn`t capitalise. I thought today I should do it. We have lost the last three finals here against India. Everyone came and performed well today," he said. Indian opener Virender Sehwag won the Man-of-the-Series Award for his 268 runs from five matches, including a century, in the tournament.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 29,
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Dambulla August 29:
Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a fine century that inspired Sri Lanka to a comprehensive 74-run over India in the Triangular Series final here.
Sangakkara hit 110, and after sharing an 85-run stand with skipper Kumar Sangakkara (71) took the hosts to 299-8 in 50 overs. India's faltered right from the star when Virender Sehwag (28) was run out while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (67) was the last man out as India subsided to 225 all out in 46.5 overs.
Seamer Thissara Perera (3-36) impressed while Suraj Randiv and Lasith Malinga each picked up two wickets. The series win completes Sri Lanka's second victory over their neighbours in the past two weeks after New Zealand was eliminated from the tournament on Wednesday. On the best batting surface of the tournament at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Sri Lanka captain Sangakkara won the toss and elected to bat.
A 121-run opening partnership between Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene gave Sri Lanka a control of proceedings. Former captain Jayawardene fell for 39, quickly followed by Upal Tharanga, in the 20th over. But Sangakkara steadied the innings, building a solid platform alongside Dilshan as India's four-pronged seam attack faltered. Dilshan struck 12 boundaries and a six in his entertaining 115-ball innings, which was eventually brought to an end in the 40th over when he was caught by Ishant Sharma off Praveen Kumar.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 29,
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New Delhi August 28:
After rejecting Lalit Modi's demand for recusal of two of its members, the Cricket Board's Disciplinary Committee will meet here tomorrow to decide the procedures and schedules for its probe against suspended IPL Commissioner.
According to sources, the Disciplinary Committee will decide the procedures and the number of sitting in its probe against Modi, who has been accused of irregularities in running the Twenty20 league.
Modi had demanded recusal of Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitley from the committee and wanted an independent panel made up preferably of retired Supreme Court judges because he claimed the duo would be biased against him. Modi's contention was that Amin has a grudge against him and Jaitley had voted to ratify the charges against him at BCCI's Special General Body meeting in July.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 28,
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Mumbai August 28:
Lalit Modi's lawyer today lashed out at BCCI President Shahshank Manohar for calling the suspended IPL Chairman a "liar" and said that he should stop defending Board secretary N Srinivasan and take action instead.
"Very unfortunate to hear such an intemperate expression by BCCI president Shashank Manohar calling Lalit Modi a liar, whereas he has not said anything," Modi's lawyer Mehmood Abdi said. Earlier in the day, BCCI threw its weight behind Secretary N Srinivasan and rejected Modi's allegations that the senior official fixed the 2009 players' auction.
BCCI President Shashank Manohar told reporters after the Working Committee meeting here that Modi's accusations against Srinivasan, who owns the Chennai Super Kings team, were "blatant lies". "I can produce papers which prove that the charges levelled by Mr Modi against Mr Srinivasan are blatant lies," Manohar said.
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Source :
Punjab Mail Online
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News Date :
August 28,
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