Scotland Yard levels no charge on players: HC

Updated at: 0417 PST,  Wednesday, September 01, 2010  LONDON: Pakistan High Commission in London said Tuesday Scotland Yard Police merely carried out investigation with Pakistani players alleged of cricket betting scam but however, they have so far leveled no charges upon them, Geo News reported. In a statement issued from Pakistan HC in UK, shelving the impression that cricket team has been asked to abandon ongoing visit, said: “Neither any action is in progress against alleged players nor have they been asked to come back home.” There is no truthfulness in news pertaining to leaving out any player from squad neither the tour is going to be called off, the statement went on saying so. The statement said that no FIA team is flying to London to probe into betting allegations against seven players as the matter is currently in hands of Scotland Yard Police for investigation. Statement also clarified that those arrested including a woman were accused of money laundering on contrary to fixing matches, leaving the matter entirely unlinked with betting scam. Scolding news media over their conduct in connection with betting allegations, the statement warned newsmen against exaggerating the matter, saying no evidences have proven positive against players as yet.

PCB won’t suspend any player pending betting probe

Updated at: 1622 PST,  Tuesday, August 31, 2010  LONDON: Pakistan Cricket Board said Tuesday it would not suspend top players accused over a betting scam while the claims are probed, but reports suggest they will not play the rest of the tour in England. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has promised "prompt and decisive action" if the allegations made by a British Sunday newspaper are proven, insisting that corruption would not be tolerated. Pakistani authorities have also promised severe punishment but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Tuesday it would not suspend any players while police investigated the players. "Chairman Ijaz Butt just told me that since there is a case going on with the Scotland Yard we are not going to suspend any player," a PCB spokesman said. "He further said that this is only an allegation so far. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken." According to British media reports, the players named in the News of the World allegations -- captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal -- are unlikely to play in the series of one-day internationals against England. The Pakistan team begin their preparation for the one-day series, which follows the Test series in which the alleged betting scam took place, with a practice match against English county Somerset on Thursday. The first one-day match against England is on Sunday. The News of the World, a British Sunday tabloid, alleged that a middleman took 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars, 185,000 euros) to arrange for Pakistani players to deliberately bowl the no-balls. The Daily Telegraph newspaper said it understood that the ICC had asked the Pakistan authorities for the four players cited in the allegations to be dropped from the squad, although no official request has been made. Other British press reports said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was adamant that the players at the centre of the allegations should be omitted from the one-day series. Citing an ICC source, it also reported that the same players had been under investigation for months by their anti-corruption unit.

ICC promises 'decisive' action if fix claims proven

Updated at: 2349 PST,  Monday, August 30, 2010  LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday promised "prompt and decisive action" if allegations of spot-fixing by Pakistan players in the fourth Test against England were proven. Neither the ICC nor the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have suspended the players involved in the allegedly deliberate bowling of no-balls here at Lord's during the final Test of a four-match series. But ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement issued Monday: "The integrity of the game is of paramount importance. "Prompt and decisive action will be taken against those who seek to harm it. "However, the facts must first be established through a thorough investigation and it is important to respect the right of due process when addressing serious allegations of this sort. "Make no mistake - once the process is complete, 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," added Lorgat, who said the ICC were conducting their own enquries into the allegations. Pakistan's tour is continuing with a one-day match against county side Somerset on Thursday and the players who have been under investigation could yet play in that fixture at Taunton and in the first of two Twenty20 internationals against England in Cardiff this coming Sunday. Meanwhile Lorgat insisted: "The ICC, ECB and PCB are committed to a zero-tolerance approach to corruption in cricket. "All allegations of betting irregularities or fixing of matches or incidents within matches are investigated thoroughly by the ICC's internationally respected Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) and this case is no different." The South African added: "Currently, senior ACSU investigators are in the United Kingdom conducting enquiries into the allegations directed at some Pakistan players during the recently concluded Test against England at Lord's. "That investigation has the full support and co-operation of the ECB and PCB. In addition, ACSU officials are assisting London's Metropolitan Police with their criminal investigation. "Led by Sir Ronnie Flanagan (the former Northern Ireland police chief) the ACSU is the most respected and experienced such unit in world sport and it has at its disposal a robust and far-reaching anti-corruption code that all ICC members support and are bound by." The scandal broke when Britain's News of the World newspaper claimed last Sunday it had paid fixer Mazhar Majeed 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars, 185,000 euros) for advance details of three Pakistan no-balls at Lord's as part of a sting operation. Majeed, a 35-year-old who is an agent for several Pakistan players, was arrested by police on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in the wake of the report but was released on bail late last Sunday. Scotland Yard interviewed Pakistan captain Salman Butt and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal plus star strike bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif, who bowled the no-balls -- normally an accidental and unpredictable occurrence -- in question. Butt, Asif and 18-year-old Aamer all had their mobile phones seized. Pakistan lost the fourth Test by an innings and 225 runs -- their heaviest Test defeat -- and with it the series 3-1 at Lord's on Sunday.

Pakistan scandal poses major questions for ICC

Updated at: 0232 PST,  Tuesday, August 31, 2010  NEW DELHI: Betting scam allegations swirling around the Pakistan team are raising serious doubts over the ability of cricket's global anti-corruption watchdog to snuff out problems blighting the game. Britain's News of the World newspaper said Sunday it had paid middleman Mazhar Majeed 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars) for advance details of three no-balls in the final Test match between Pakistan and England at Lord's. International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the ICC, which he said has a "zero-tolerance approach to corruption in cricket", was conducting its own inquiry and would take action against any guilty players. "If these allegations are proven, action will be taken in a severe manner," he told media, adding in a statement that the game's integrity was "of paramount importance". But the alleged "spot-fixing" by Pakistani players highlights the apparent failure of the ICC's much-vaunted Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. The ACSU was set up in 2000 after a match-fixing scandal that led to life bans for Test captains Hansie Cronje (South Africa), Mohammad Azharuddin (India) and Salim Malik (Pakistan). The unit was headed by former London Metropolitan police chief Paul Condon until June, when he retired and was replaced by another senior former British policeman, Ronnie Flanagan. The ICC acknowledges that millions of dollars are gambled legally and illegally on every match, and says the ACSU was established when "cricket's reputation and integrity were tarnished and in danger of being destroyed". Respected website Cricinfo.com reported on Monday that the ACSU had been monitoring several Pakistani cricketers and the alleged middleman, Majeed, over recent months. Pakistan's tour of Australia earlier this year -- especially the second Test in which the tourists collapsed to hand the hosts an astonishing victory -- attracted ACSU interest but no action was taken. Before he retired, Condon told Cricinfo that Pakistani in-fighting on the tour had wrecked the team's motivation. "What we still need to establish is whether that was because rival camps wanted to do down captains or potential captains, or whether it was something more serious, doing it for a financial fix," he said. But ACSU investigations into the Pakistan set-up were hampered because Majeed is also agent to several of the players and could not be stopped from having access to them. One clear failing of the body has been its failure to fill the key vacancy of regional manager for Pakistan and Bangladesh since retired colonel Nuruddin Khawaja died in January. "The ICC and the ACSU are on the job, but they still need to do a lot more to ensure such things don't happen," veteran cricket writer Ayaz Memon told media. "It can't be easy to prove underhand corruption. But cricket clearly does not need such scandals." The ACSU has yet to release its report on the Sydney Test between Pakistan and Australia, which Majeed claimed was fixed in favour of the home team and earned him 1.3 million pounds. "My prediction is that you will never entirely eradicate fixing from the game of cricket," Condon told Cricinfo in May. "If you were designing a game to fix, you would design cricket, because it is a whole series of discreet events, and every ball you can bet on. "If you know in advance when a bowler is going to bowl a no-ball, it's like knowing when red or black is going to come up on a roulette wheel." Condon had targeted low-profile one-day matches and the cash-rich Indian Premier League, but gave a clean slate to the IPL's third edition this year. While trumpeting the ICC's zeal to fight corruption, Lorgat acknowledged that the ACSU is hamstrung by limited powers. "It hasn't got the powers of the police or the ability of a newspaper to mount a 'sting' operation," he told media.

Three held over cricket 'betting scam'

Updated at: 1851 PST,  Tuesday, August 31, 2010  Three people have been arrested by Customs officials in connection with betting allegations against Pakistani cricket players. Two men and a woman, all from London, were questioned yesterday as part of an investigation into money laundering before being released on bail, HM Revenue and Customs said. The development came as it was announced that three Pakistan cricketers will meet officials from their country in London tomorrow.

Rehman views anti-Pak plot among scam factors

Updated at: 1419 PST,  Tuesday, August 31, 2010

KARACHI: Federal Interior Minister Rehman A Malik said the investigative team of Pakistan would jump into probe after the report by Scotland Yard is finally made public, Geo News reported Tuesday. Talking to media along with Federal Sports Minister Aijaz Jakhrani here, he sought people of Pakistan to hold on until Scotland Yard police report, adding ‘We have written a letter regarding collaboration on the investigations with Scotland Yard and elicited from them the investigative report. Responding a question about the video, the federal minister said the video may be forged, adding action would be taken against any players if found involved in the match-fixing scandal. Aijaz said, ‘The incident caused cutting grief to the fans of cricket and we don’t need to send any other team to London.’ Rehman said the government did not rule out any anti-Pakistan conspiracy in the scam, and if there is any plot in the making, it should be uncovered. The police in the two countries may join hands in the probe under agreement between the two countries, he clarified.

Asif, Aamer, Butt stopped from practice August 31, 2010

Asif, Aamer, Butt stopped from practice

Updated at: 1849 PST,  Tuesday, August 31, 2010  TAUNTON: Pakistan cricket team management present in England stopped three players - Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Salman Butt – from taking part in practice and they are being sent to London. Sources said that Pakistan high commissioner in England Wajid Shamsul Hasan has summoned these three players to London where they are also expected to meet with wellknown lawyer Elizabeth Robert. All three players have been charged for match-fixing. As per sources, replacements of these three players may be announced but the accused players cannot go outside England until the investigations are completed. Meanwhile, an important meeting is going on between Waqar Younis, Shafqat Rana and Ijaz Ahmed.

Match Fixing Scandal: Pakistan Cricketers Set to Lose Test, Series, and Dignity

(Watch video of the ‘fixer’ detailing the ‘fix’, below).

With England already in a commanding lead in the Third Test match, Pakistan seems set to lose the game as well as the series to hosts England. But at least some of the Pakistan team may already have lost their dignity and any respect their fans had for them given the explosive allegations from mass-selling British tabloid News of the World. Although still allegations, the facts and the circumstances are piling up to a nasty indictment of a number of Pakistan players, including Captain Salman Butt, and Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Kamran Akmal.

Orchestrated by London-based fixed Mazhar Majeed, these players (and possibly others) seem to be embroiled in a match-fixing scandal, which will not only bring further heartbreak and shame to Pakistan cricket fans but also wreck whatever little dignity is left in a team that is in tatters in terms of performance and, if these allegations are true, in morals too.

Here are some essential details, according to a report at CricInfo:

The fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord’s is at the centre of a police investigation into spot-fixing, after a 35-year-old man was arrested after allegedly being caught offering to bribe Pakistan’s bowlers to bowl no-balls on demand.

According to a report in The News of the World, Mazher Majeed accepted £150,000 to arrange a fix involving Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, whom he allegedly asked to bowl no-balls at specific moments of the match. The paper also alleges that the team captain, Salman Butt, and the wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, are involved, along with three other unnamed cricketers.

Cricinfo understands that the players named were questioned and were quizzed about sums of money found in the rooms, though it is thought that those were made up of the daily allowances players are given while on tour. The man arrested is believed to have contacts with the team though until now it was assumed he was acting as an agent for players, helping them secure sponsorship and kit contracts.

Officials from the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit are currently flying in from Dubai, and in a statement, the ICC confirmed that the allegations were being taken seriously. “The International Cricket Council, the England & Wales Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board have been informed by the Metropolitan Police that a 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers,” read the statement.

“The Metropolitan Police have informed the ICC, ECB and PCB that their investigations continue and ICC, ECB and PCB, with the involvement of the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, are fully assisting those enquiries. No players nor team officials have been arrested in relation to this incident and the fourth npower Test match will continue as scheduled on Sunday. As this is now subject to a police investigation neither ICC, ECB, PCB, nor the ground authority, the MCC, will make any further comment.” A Scotland Yard spokeman added: “Following information received from the News of the World we have today [Saturday, August 28] arrested a 35-year old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.”

A report in Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper confirms the same and quotes the Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed telling the Associated Press: ‘I can confirm that we are aware of the allegations and Scotland Yard police are with us now at the hotel and we are helping them with their enquiries. This is as much as I can say at the moment.”

But the real dynamite here is the explosive video from News of the World:

In describing the video included above, The News of the Worldwrites:

Having already trousered a £10,000 upfront deposit – which he insisted had gone to the stars – Majeed sat in our west London hotel room at the Copthorne Tara on Wednesday night and eagerly counted out the £140,000 balance in bundles of crisp £50 notes – our “entry ticket” into his already successful betting scam.

Our undercover team was posing as front men for a Far East gambling cartel. 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.

He promised: “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!”

Later in the same story, The News of the World goes on to quote the fixer, Majeed, as saying:

“I’ve been doing it with them, the Pakistani team, for about 2½ years. And we’ve made masses and masses of money.”

Later that night Majeed boasted how it was the players who got HIM into match-fixing. He told us: “The players would never tell anybody else. They were the ones who actually approached me about this. This is the beauty of it.

“I was friends with them for four, five years and then they said this happens. I said really?”

Majeed then described how the betting scam operates. He reached into a carrier bag, pulled out a white BlackBerry phone and flicked through a series of messages.

“I deal with an Indian party,” he said. “They pay me for the information.”

Then Majeed explained how many cricket bets are placed on what he called “brackets” – events happening in a group of 10 overs.

If players score well in the first three overs punters would be likely to bet on that continuing for the next seven. But if the fixed players then deliberately STOP scoring or slow down, anybody in on it can “make a killing”, said Majeed. The same happens with bowlers giving away runs or throwing no-balls.

In a follow-up story inThe News of the World, gives even more detail:

… after play ended for the day Majeed smugly rang our reporter to brag. “You a bit more comfortable now?” he asked. “Told you. Once you showed your hand, I showed my hand, okay?”

Then he revealed how he had arranged another no-ball for the following day’s play. “Right, it’s going to be Amir’s third over and third ball,” he said. “It’ll be his third over, not the third over of the game.” He ended the call by reminding our man: “Boss, I’m telling you, you’re dealing with the right person, you’re not dealing with an idiot, all right?”

But on Friday morning Majeed contacted our man saying that he’d received a message from Amir. Majeed said: “He’s briefed up. He’s just texted me now to say ‘Shall I do it or not?’ ”

And Amir DID do it – despite getting off to a sensational start, taking three quick wickets in nine balls.

Commentators described him as being “on fire” as England wickets tumbled to his pace attack. Amir managed to skittle out England batsmen Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan without any of them scoring a single run. It was only the fifth time in history the third, fourth and fifth batsmen in an order had been dismissed for ducks. During the blitz, former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, commentating for Sky, said: “It’s been Mohammad Amir’s morning. He’s made that ball talk.”

His colleague Michael Atherton said: “Remarkable stuff this morning from Pakistan and in particular Mohammad Amir. Just 18 years of age. He’s running in from the Pavilion End. He’s like an old hand.

“He looks like he’s going to get a wicket with every ball he bowls.”

With Amir tearing through the batsmen, Majeed quickly contacted our man, warning that the promised no-ball might have to be cancelled and that we shouldn’t place big bets on it. He said the captain might tell Amir to keep up the onslaught. “So much is happening out there at the moment,” he added. Majeed was right – captain Salman Butt, who Majeed boasts is one of his players in the fixing scam – did have a quick word with Amir just before the THIRD BALL of the THIRD OVER.

Usually mid-over conversations between bowlers and captains would be about the placement of fielders and whether to make any changes.

On this occasion, no changes were made, prompting commentator Michael Holding to chip in: “A quick conference between captain and the bowler. Hasn’t resulted in the field being changed. Not yet.”

But there WAS a sudden change in Amir’s form. As promised, he bowled and again placed his foot over the crease, into the banned area – a no-ball. The umpire had a word with Amir about the surprise delivery, pointing out how far over the line his foot had been.

On the TV replay, the side view showed he placed his foot at least eight inches past the line. It prompted bowling legend Michael Holding to exclaim: “How far over was that? Woh!”

Ian Botham added: “It’s like net bowling” – referring to when bowlers don’t try so hard when they are practising in the nets.

In its story The News of the World writes that “The scam, fuelled by greed, is a betrayal by the players not only of their sport but of their cricket-crazy homeland.” They are right, but only just. If true – I guess, one keeps hoping against hope that it is not – it would also be a betrayal of decency and dignity. If indeed these allegations are proven true, these cheats – and by that one means not only the fixer but any players or officials involved – should be treated as exactly that: cheats and liars and frauds and given the full punishment for being that. Certainly, this magnitude of lying and cheating should be cause for a permanent removal from ever representing the national side again.

Imran Khan The guilty should be punished as an example for future generations to realise that crime does not pay

Imran Khan The guilty should be punished as an example for future generations to realise that crime does not pay

Imran wants harsh punishment as deterrent

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan has said he is concerned about the long-term repercussions the match-fixing crisis could have on the country's cricketing establishment but feels it is a chance for the authorities to act in a manner that would discourage future cricketers from considering such activities.

"If they are proved, not just in terms of the best players in the team being implicated but from the public point of view, they would not understand the finer points of the game and each time they lose they will think it's a fixed match," Imran told Britain's ITVchannel.

"Why should Pakistan cricket suffer if some players have indulged in a crime? Why should Pakistani supporters suffer because of that? The people who are found guilty should be removed from the team and replaced and should be punished as an example for future generations to realise that crime does not pay."

Reactions to the issue have come in thick and fast, especially from former cricketers. Matthew Hayden, the former Australia opener, said it was "not in Australia's DNA to accept any kind of skullduggery", and felt the scandal highlighted the different cultures that exist in the game. "You have a look at Pakistan which has been wiped out by the recent floods and you put yourself in the position that maybe you can try and get what's left of your family and salvage the situation," Hayden told AAP. "We wouldn't ever dare get involved in corruption but that's in our country."

Hayden's one-time Australia team-mate Ian Healy, felt that players involved in fixing did not care enough for their country, and was pleased that they may have been caught in the act. "We'd be stupid to think this is new," he said. "How long has this lurk been going on? It's a long time I'm sure, but it's been caught which is awesome," said Healy, who also recalled a dodgy victory against Pakistan in the 90s which later came under the match-fixing scanner.

"This game in Sri Lanka we thought we were heroes - we were high-fiving fools. It came out a year later that that game was brought into question," Healy said.

Healy, however, said that he felt Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal did not deliberately drop catches during the Sydney Test, which Mahzar Majeed, the man at the centre of the spot-fixing controversy, claimed was also fixed to News of the World. Healy said Akmal came to him for advice because he was struggling with his keeping.

"He was stiff as a board and extremely tense. You couldn't drop those on purpose they way he was doing it," Healy told the Sydney Morning Herald. "His technique had gone off, which he told me about two weeks before - the ball wasn't going into his glove that well for the spinners. I said to him, 'look, we'll work on that in Hobart'. I wasn't going to the Sydney Test. And then he did that. It didn't look to me as if they were on purpose at all."

Michael Hussey, the Australian batsman who was let off by Akmal in Sydney, also said he felt the mistakes were genuine. "It all happens in a split second," he said. "Especially the catches off me ... they were all up to the stumps. With those sort of catches they either go in or they don't. I don't think you can try to drop those."

Former ICC chief Malcolm Speed said there was a "fairly compelling case" for suspending Pakistan from the ICC. "It looks as though it is endemic that several of the team members are involved and have been for some time," Speed told ABC radio. "So perhaps they need a rest."

Speed echoed Healy's views that the unearthing of the scandal was a step forward for the game. "[It's] great that they've been caught in England where there is a very sophisticated legal system that deals with conspiracy and specifically with cheating in sport. So I see that as a major positive," he said. "I would have liked it to have happened when I was involved with ICC but it didn't happen at that time."

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Mohammad Amir is one of the players whose mobile phone has been removed © AFP

Mohammad Amir is one of the players whose mobile phone has been removed © AFP

Police investigation will focus on currency notes Spot-fixing controversy

Spot-fixing controversy

Police investigation will focus on currency notes

Investigators will focus on the currency notes handed over by the News Of The World (NOTW) to Mazhar Majeed as they look for evidence of spot fixing in the Lord's Test involving Pakistani cricketers. Majeed was arrested by Scotland Yard on Saturday night and the investigators will try and determine if the currency notes bear resemblance to those found in the hotel rooms of several Pakistani players.

The NOTW claimed Majeed was paid £150,000 to arrange a fix involving Pakistan's new-ball bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, whom he allegedly asked to bowl no-balls at specific moments of the match. It also alleged that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal, the captain and vice-captain respectively, were the kingpins in the deal, which involved a total of seven players.

Butt sidestepped the issue at the post-match press conference on Sunday, saying investigations were on. However, a source familiar with such investigations said he would be hard pressed to explain the currency notes allegedly found in his hotel room if they matched those given to Majeed by NOTW.

"If the notes are the same it would be something serious. It would be direct evidence linking him to what has been claimed by [Majeed]," the source said.

The most serious aspect of the issue, the source said, was Butt's alleged involvement, and Majeed's claim that he knew Butt's bowling plan. "The fact that specific overs are to be bowled by specific bowlers and that they get to bowl those overs…then the specific ball as suggested is the kind of ball they offered are issues that raise considerable concern ," the source said.

What will follow now, the source said, is intensive interrogation by Scotland Yard. "I don't think they will make an arrest unless they have some very credible evidence linking the player(s) to this," he said.

The United Kingdom has a specific law under the Gambling Act that criminalises any offence involving cheating in sport and brings such cases immediately under police jurisdiction.

Butt was handed the Test captaincy in a crisis situation in July after Shahid Afridi's sudden retirement from the five-day game following the Lord's Test against Australia. Butt immediately led Pakistan to a thrilling victory over Australia at Headingley, their first in 15 years. A week ago at The Oval, he was once again victorious when Pakistan beat England in another close finish. The weekend's developments, however, have cast a cloud over those achievements.

Spot-fixing controversy Nervous Butt faces the media

Spot-fixing controversy

Nervous Butt faces the media

Salman Butt was seen saying his prayers as he walked from the Pavilion to the media conference in the Thomas Lord Suite. It was the first time the fans had been able to see him at close quarters on a black day for him and his team. With blood-shot eyes and unshaven, Butt was clearly restless and nervous. He was flanked on either side by Yawar Saeed (senior manager) and Shafqat Rana (associate manager) along with the ICC media manager and the team's security officer. Usually a fluent speaker, Butt stuttered and failed to build clear sentences at various times during a 12-minute-long media session, with most of the questions intended for him being intercepted by the manager Yawar. The following is the transcript of the media session.

How serious are the allegations?
Yawar Saeed Allegations are only one thing. They are all serious - small or big. There is nothing that I can say about them as far as these allegations are concerned.

What was the feeling in the Pakistan dressing room coming into today's game with all these allegations going on?
Saeed Obviously we are not delighted about it. We are sad. It was a very sober feeling the dressing room.

Salman, are these allegations true? The evidence looks pretty damning in the paper this morning
Saeed No allegations are true till they proved either way. So at this point of time they are just allegations.

Salman, are you going to resign as Test captain in the wake of these allegations?
Salman Butt Why? Pakistan won a Test match against Australia after 15 years and against England after nine years, so does that make me resign from this current situation?

But what about after the serious allegations?
Saeed I don't think you should ask [him] to resign [based] on allegations. Let us wait till the case is completed.

The team surrendered quite meekly this morning as wickets fell quickly. Was that because of what happened in the morning and was that playing on their minds?
Butt We didn't play good cricket. England played a lot better cricket in this game. The point is you can't connect what happened in the morning's display because even yesterday the team collapsed for 74 runs. So today was a bit better than that. The guys tried their best but it was just England's game. They played the better game.

Yawar, did you ask Salman if the allegations are true. And in view of these allegations will the ODI series take place?
Saeed As far as I'm concerned the one-day series is on. We are moving to the West Country after [Tuesday] and will play the one-dayers and the T20s. As far as the allegations are concerned I would still call them allegations, as it is not really for me within 24 hours to pass a judgment whether they are true or not.

Why can't Salman say whether are the allegations are true or not?
Butt These are just allegations and anybody can stand out and say anything, it doesn't mean they are true. They include quite a few people and they are still ongoing. We'll see what happens.

The allegations involving you - are they true or false?
Butt I haven't heard any allegation except someone just taking my name. There is nothing that I've seen or shown on TV, nothing that involves me.

Yawar, have you spoken to the PCB today? Have they asked you for a report?
Saeed As a manager whether they ask or not I will give my report. I have not been speaking to them today because we came to the ground. Now the Test match is over. The series is over. Now I shall certainly talk to them.

And how quickly have they asked you for a report?
Saeed The chairman of PCB is in town. I will be seeing him his afternoon and giving him my report.

Salman, can you reassure the Pakistan fans that you have given 100% effort at every moment in this Test series?
Butt Definitely we have given our best that we could do on the days. We've tried our best. It has just been the conditions have been difficult for the batsmen. Remember that this has been a very inexperienced team, especially the batting which has been the main thing has not matched expectations. We all expected that [to happen] as I've been saying in all my press conferences, that the guys are young with the least experience, and in these difficult conditions they might struggle.

Did the bowlers give 100% every ball of this Test series?
Butt I will say every person in my team has given his 100% and has given all the efforts he could, but not every time you go out do you achieve what you want to. All you can do is try, and the rest is beyond your control.

You seem tired and weary and seem to have had a sleepless night?
Butt Obviously when some allegations are thrown at you, how can you have satisfaction? Because it is an allegation levelled against you, so unless and until it becomes clear in black and white, until then it is never easy.

Mohammad Amir, just 18, won the Man-of-the-Series award for Pakistan. Is he upset by the allegations?
Saeed Mohammad Amir is a bowler who has done well so far in his career all over the world. Certainly he is a little disappointed because his name has come through but we and he will wait until the investigations are over. If he comes through clean there is nothing better than that.

If he doesn't come through clean, what then?
Saeed Then let's wait until that time comes.

Why did the Pakistanis not come out to practise in the morning?
Saeed It is a good question. We did not have even a cup of coffee in the morning. But we did not warm up because I was talking to the team. A lot had happened overnight and it was my duty to talk to them, get them focussed back into the match. There is no other reason.

The newspaper report that makes these allegations describes you as the ring leader. Can you confirm that? Also can you confirm whether or not the police searched your room?
Saeed I have read it too in the press. As far as the Scotland Yard investigations are concerned I would not like to say anything more until we go along with it because it is not right for us to make the allegations. As for the room search, I said this last night, too, the Scotland Yard officers came. They interviewed, they came to my room as well. They went to his [Butt's] room and two other rooms and they were there for about two to three hours. After that I asked if there is anything we can do, they said no. "We are doing our investigations," they said. "There is nothing more for you people to do".

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

Salman Butt will be part of the Pakistan squad travelling to Taunton on Monday © PA Photos

Salman Butt will be part of the Pakistan squad travelling to Taunton on Monday © PA Photos

Spot-fixing controversy Mazhar Majeed released on bail

Spot-fixing controversy

Mazhar Majeed released on bail

Mazhar Majeed, the man at the centre of the Pakistan team's spot-fixing scandal, was released on bail by Scotland Yard on Monday, but will have to appear before the police at a later date. The police force refused to discuss the bail conditions or details of their investigative interviews with Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, whose mobile phones they had confiscated.

"He is obliged to return for further questioning at a specified date," a Scotland Yard spokesman told Cricinfo. However, he refused to confirm what date that would be.

Majeed had been arrested on Saturday, following the expose that claimed he was paid £150,000 to arrange a fix with the Pakistan team. He was caught on camera by the News of the World claiming to have bribed Pakistan's bowlers to bowl no-balls at previously agreed moments during the Lord's Test.

A Pakistan team official confirmed to Cricinfo that the whole squad would be leaving London on Monday to travel to Taunton - a day earlier than scheduled after the four-day finish to the final Test - to prepare for the limited-overs matches. They are due to play a warm-up match against Somerset on Thursday before travelling to Cardiff for the first of two Twenty20 internationals on September 5.

Richard Gould, the Somerset chief executive, said the county was preparing as normal for the team's arrival. "We are expecting them in the next 12-24 hours," he told Cricinfo. "They are due to train on Wednesday, but if they need anything before then they'll have the use of the indoor school and gym. We hope to give them the best chance to prepare for the one-day series."

Gould added that the club would be implementing the security plans they used during the World Twenty20 last year when Taunton hosted the women's group matches, but that wasn't a response to events of the last 24 hours.

"We aren't looking at increasing the security presence," he said. "We had already decided to implement the plans from last year because it was a high-profile side visiting and the model we used at the World Twenty20 was drawn up to cater for such events."

There are a number of fresh faces joining up with the squad for the one-day leg of the tour, including Shahid Afridi who returns as captain in place of Salman Butt having given up the leadership following the first Test against Australia, at Lord's, in July. Six players who aren't involved are returning to Pakistan with Imran Farhat, Raza Hasan, Shoaib Malik, Tanvir Ahmed, Umar Amin and Yasir Hameed not included for the Twenty20 and ODIs.

Sharad Pawar, the ICC president, said the game's governing body would wait for the police report on the issue before deciding on a course of action. "Until and unless the process of investigation is over, it is improper for me to react," Pawar said on Monday. "We have discussed it within the ICC and have decided to wait for the police's investigation report. After that we have to take a viewpoint of the two boards."

Pawar is scheduled to hold a conference call with other board chiefs later on Monday.

Many boards have already reacted, some of them airing concerns over the fate of planned series against Pakistan. New Zealand Cricket appealed for a swift resolution to the issue to avoid any fallout on Pakistan's year-end tour of the country . "Justice needs to be done, but also swiftly to stop this dragging on," New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan told TV3 News. "It's very important that we have their best team and that we prepare as well as possible for the World Cup which immediately follows the tour."

Pakistan will play three Twenty20 matches, two Tests and six one-day internationals against New Zealand between December 26 and early February.

The BCCI said the matter was for the PCB and ICC to handle. "The BCCI has got nothing to do with it," its media and finance committee chairman Rajiv Shukla said. "Even if some Indian bookies are involved, the Indian police will look into the matter."

Yawar Saeed, the touring side's manager denied that the allegations proved that Pakistan cricket was institutionally corrupt. "I would not like to say that. Yes, one has heard and one has read [the allegations], but I would not like to go that far," said Saeed, insisting that the tour itinerary would continue as planned.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd

Mazhar Majeed takes £10,000 down payment for spot fixing at Lords

Match-fixing scam: Who Is Mazhar Majeed?

New Delhi:  So who is the man at the centre of allegations of the latest spot betting scandal, with such great contacts in the Pakistan team and able to literally get them dancing to his tune. Here is all about the bookie who triggered the spot fixing controversy in the Pakistan cricket camp.

Mazhar is a 35-year-old property tycoon, who also owns Croydon Athletic Football Club. 

He also told the News Of The World reporter how he launders match-fixing money through the football club. "The only reason I bought a football club is to do that," he said. 

He lives in a £1.8 million home in Croydon, with his wife and two daughters. He and owns a Range Rover, a black Jaguar and VW Golf and an Aston Martin

coutesy

NDTV Correspondent, Updated: August 29, 2010 22:38 IST

Mazhar Majeed

Mazhar and players on ACSU lists

Mon, 30 Aug 08:46:28 2010

Less than a day after the News of the World sent Pakistan cricket heading towards another crisis more skeletons were tumbling out of the closet as it emerged that "several" of Pakistan's players have been monitored by the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) for some time.

Cricinfo understands that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal are part of a group of players the watchdog has been keeping a close eye on.

Added to this, influential sources close to the Pakistan team have said Mazhar Majeed, the man at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal that erupted at Lord's, has also been on the ACSU watchlist but investigations were hindered because he is an agent.

"He has been under the scanner for some time.

But he is the commercial agent to various players," said the source.

"They are their official player agents who are doing all these endorsements.

In that case nobody can question their presence." And the source added: "There are a number of Pakistan players that have been under the ACSU scanner for a while now." He pointed out that the exercise was not only a reaction to Pakistan's ignominious tour of Australia earlier this year where they lost every match, including the controversial second Test at Sydney.

At one stage Australia were just 49 ahead with only two wickets in hand, but managed to extend their advantage to 176.

Pakistan then floundered badly and raised more than a few eyebrows by the manner in which they folded.

Kamran had also managed to drop four catches along with a missed run-out opportunity during Australia's second innings, and during the post-tour inquiry committee set up by the PCB Inthikab Alam and Aaqib Javed, the head coach and the assistant coach on the tour, raised doubts over Kamran's gloverwork.

That lead to suspicions of match-fixing and Lord Paul Condon, the former head of the ACSU, said that series was being investigated.

"We are satisfied that that was a totally dysfunctional tour from a Pakistani point of view, and that dysfunctionality in the dressing room led to players not performing well, and maybe making them potentially underperform deliberately," Condon told Cricinfo before he retired.

"What we still need to establish is whether that was because rival camps wanted to do down captains or potential captains, or whether it was something more serious, doing it for a financial fix." As disclosed by the NOTW, Majeed allegedly said that Sydney was the last instance where he was involved in fixing a match.

"Let me tell you the last Test we did.

It was the second Test against Australia in Sydney," he told the undercover reporter.

"Australia had two more wickets left.

They had a lead of 10 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 to 1.

"We let them get up to 150 then everyone lost their wickets," Majeed revealed.

''That one we made £1.3 [million].

But that's what I mean, you can get up to a million.

Tests is where the biggest money is because those situations arise.''

Mohammad Asif bowls during the Test match at Lord's

Scotland Yard have also questioned Pakistan captain Salman Butt

Pakistan's cricket manager Yawar Saeed (right) reads a copy of Britain's News of the World newspaper

Mohammad Asif bowls during the Test match at Lord's

Pakistan faces new pressure on match-fixing claims

Pakistan faces new pressure on match-fixing claims

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

LONDON — Cricket authorities were under pressure Monday to cancel the rest of Pakistan's tour to England after lurid match-fixing allegations swirled around a string of recent matches.

Scotland yard detectives were questioning top Pakistani players as the cricket world reacted with shock and dismay at reports that hundreds of thousands of dollars had changed hands in match-fixing schemes at test level dating back months.

Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan said any further matches against the tourists would have "no credibility" in the light of the damaging allegations.

The latest scandal broke when News of the World claimed Sunday that it had paid fixer Mazhar Majeed 150,000 pounds for advance details of three no-balls in the fourth and final Test between Pakistan and England as part of a betting sting.

England won the game at Lord's in London -- the prestigious ground known as the home of cricket -- on Sunday, meaning they took the series 3-1.

Majeed, a 35-year-old who is an agent for several Pakistan players, was arrested by police on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in the wake of the report but was released on bail late Sunday.

Scotland Yard have also questioned Pakistan captain Salman Butt, plus star strike bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.

Butt, Asif and 18-year-old Amir -- who was named Pakistan's man of the series -- all had their mobile phones seized.

The news has sent shockwaves around the world of cricket, which prides itself on its reputation for fair play, raising questions about the fairness of previous games and leading to calls for Pakistan's looming one-day series against England to be scrapped.

Police were told a month ago about alleged match-fixing in the first Test between Pakistan and England, according to Monday's Sun newspaper, sister publication to the News of the World.

Another game in the spotlight is January's second Test between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney, in which Australia overcame a 206-run innings deficit to win.

Majeed told the News of the World he earned over 830,000 pounds for a betting syndicate for rigging the match.

Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said there had previously been "no doubt" about the cleanness of the match but that he would now wait for further evidence before making any other comment.

And Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he feared some great individual performances by his players in the Sydney Test would be "tainted" if allegations of cheating by Pakistan were proven.

"The thing that I'm most worried about if any of this is proven to be true is some of the individual performances that took place in that game," he told national radio.

Former International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed even said there was a "fairly compelling case" for suspending Pakistan from world cricket.

"It looks as though it is endemic that several of the team members are involved and have been for some time," Speed told national radio. "So perhaps they need a rest. It looks a fairly compelling case."

Former England batsman Allan Lamb called for the upcoming one-day series between Pakistan and England to be scrapped. "I believe that the one-day series shouldn't go on," he told BBC television.

Ex England captain Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph that England "would not want to play against" Pakistan in the games, which would have "no credibility".

The news has also hit hard in Pakistan, with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the claims "have bowed our heads in shame", as he launched an investigation.

President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his disappointment at the allegations and is being informed of developments, while federal sports minister Ijaz Jakhrani promised any players found guilty would not play for Pakistan again.

A defiant Butt has insisted he would not resign the Test team captaincy over the claims.

"Anybody can stand out and say anything about you, that doesn't make them true," he said.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved