Spot fixing trial: Indian offered Pakistanis $1m to throw Test

LONDON : A shadowy Indian contact offered the agent of several Pakistan cricketers $1 million to ensure they threw a Test match against England, a London court heard Tuesday.The jury in the trial of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif saw video footage of meetings between the players' agent Mazhar Majeed and undercover News of the World reporter Mazher Mahmood.The former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid was posing as an Indian frontman for a Far East gambling syndicate.In an August 21 meeting in Majeed's house in south London, the reporter recorded the agent on the telephone with the unidentified man in India, discussing deliberately throwing the Test match between England and Pakistan at The Oval, which was under way at the time, Southwark Crown Court was told.Referring to the number of Pakistan players under his wing, Majeed was heard saying it was "not a problem" to fix the match result, as "you know how many I've got, you know that they do it.Majeed called his Indian contact and told him: "You know what we spoke about last night, what offer can you give me for today's game? Tell me, just give me a figure now, we haven't got long.There's a possibility, I'm just telling you that now, they're talking at least 1.2 -- at least. In dollars."The prosecution alleged that Majeed and the mysterious contact were floating the possibility of Pakistan deliberately losing the game.Majeed said: "Boss, you know how many I've got, you know that they do it. So of course that's not a problem. But you just give me the figure and I'm going to get back to you. We haven't got much time. One million, yeah The Indian contact replied: "I give you one (million dollars). One I give you, but has to be a definite game score.After the call, Majeed told the reporter: "There's big, big money in results, I tell you, you can see that.In the event, Pakistan beat England by four wickets to secure a memorable Test victory.The court heard that Majeed previously told the journalist that Pakistan were trying to win the match at The Oval because the players wanted Butt to remain as Test captain.Prosecutors allege Butt and Asif agreed for no-balls to be bowled as part of a spot-fixing scam.The two players have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling.Majeed and young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer have also been charged with the same offences but are not standing trial alongside Butt and Asif.Mahmood gave evidence from behind a screen after the judge banned descriptions of his appearance because his security could be compromised. He could be seen by the judge and the jury

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Ponting happy to drop down batting order

PERTH : Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he is happy to drop down the Test batting order to accommodate Shaun Marsh at No. 3.The 36-year-old, who has scored 12,487 runs in 154 Tests, has long come in to bat at first drop but slotted in as No. 4 during the second Test against Sri Lanka last month in which Marsh scored 141 at No.3 on his debut.Marsh followed it up with scores of 81 and 18 in the third Test when again batting at No.3.Test skipper Michael Clarke sees Marsh as a long-term fixture in the role and Ponting said he had no complaints."It was a long-term plan of Michael's to have Shaun move to No. 3 and me move to No. 4 and Michael (Clarke) move to five and (Mike) Hussey to six,Ponting told reporters."So that wasn't just ... a one-off for that game (in Sri Lanka)."When I first came into the Australian side, batting at six was hard. Waiting that amount of time to bat for me was something that was very foreign to me," he added."But three to four I don't think is as big a change as three to six."Ponting is playing for Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth starting Tuesday, ahead of Australia's Test tour of South Africa next month.

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Cricket Australia slams “outlandish” allegations

SYDNEY : Cricket Australia on Tuesday said it was not aware of any evidence implicating Australian players in match-fixing and slammed the credibility of the man who made the claims in a London court.The details emerged as Mazher Mahmood, the former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid, gave evidence at the trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.In recordings played to Southwark Crown Court, an agent, Mazhar Majeed, alleged that Australians, as well as some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket, were prepared to fix parts of matches.We were very surprised to hear the report this morning,said Cricket Australia (CA) General Manager of Public Affairs Peter Young."We are aware that some very outlandish claims have been made by a person of very dubious repute and they've apparently been replayed to the court.He said CA was conscious of respecting the judicial process and not saying anything that might compromise the trial, but denied ever seeing any proof of match-fixing by Australian players."What we can say is that we are not aware of any evidence," he said."Our long-standing formal view for well over a decade has been that any credible evidence needs to be pursued and investigated with vigour by the International Cricket Council, and that is our position today."During the trial, a video secretly filmed in a car was played showing the agent and Mahmood posing as an Indian frontman for a gambling syndicate -- meeting during the first day of Pakistan's Test against England on August 18 last year.In it, Majeed alleged that Australian players would fix "brackets", a set period of a match on which punters bet."The Australians, they are the biggest. They have 10 brackets a game," he said.Arranging a "bracket" could cost between #50,000 and #80,000, he said.For a result, Twenty20 is about #400,000 and Test matches, depending on the situation, is about #1 million," he added.Young said CA would be talking with the International Cricket Council on Tuesday "to understand any advice they might have We do note that the ICC has had an anti-corruption expert scrutinising every single ball that we've bowled and every single ball that we've faced for well over a decade," he added."There has been no suggestion of any concerns about Australian cricket.

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Wasim, Waqar, Ijaz and Moin involved in match-fixing: Majeed

LONDON : A sports agent accused of taking bribes to fix matches said Pakistan's best known former players were involved in betting scams and that Australian cricketers were "the biggest" culprits, a London court heard on Monday. Agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, told an undercover journalist match-fixing had been going on "for centuries" and named celebrated former Pakistan fast-bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as alleged participants, the court heard. Prosecutors allege that Majeed conspired with Pakistan's former Test captain Salman Butt, 27, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 19, to fix parts of the Lord's Test between England and Pakistan last August.Butt and Asif, who are standing trial, deny conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. The jury at Southwark Crown Court was played covert recordings of meetings between the agent and former News of the World journalist Mazher Mahmood, who was posing as a rich Indian businessman organising a proposed cricket tournament in the United Arab Emirates. Majeed met Mahmood at a west London restaurant on Aug. 18 last year the first day of Pakistan's Oval Test against England and, after the meal, discussed match-fixing in the undercover reporter's car, the court was told."It's been happening for centuries. It's been happening for years. Wasim, Waqar, Ijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan they all did it, Majeed said. (REUTERS)

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Tests fix cost £1mn, says agent in spot-fixing trial

LONDON : A British sports agent representing two Pakistani cricketers accused of a betting scam told an undercover reporter that Test matches could be thrown for £1 million, a court in London heard on Monday.The claim emerged as the former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid, Mazher Mahmood, gave evidence at the trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and bowler Mohammad Asif.The jury heard an audio recording of the two cricketers' agent Mazhar Majeed talking to the reporter during a secretly recorded conversation in a car, and outlining the prices for different forms of fixing."There is massive, massive money in this," Majeed was heard to say in the recording played to Southwark Crown Court.Majeed said that for a "bracket" -- where bets are made on incidents during a certain period of play -- the cost could be between £50,000 and £80,000 ($78,000 and $125,000)"For a result, Twenty20 is about £400,000 and Test matches, depending on the situation, is about £1 million."He said that he was dealing with a contact in India, adding: "Indian bookmakers, think of how many millions are bet on these games.Mahmood gave evidence behind a screen after the judge made an order banning publication of descriptions of his appearance or sketches because the journalist has argued his security could be compromised.Butt and Asif plead not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling.Prosecutors said at the opening of the trial last week that the pair had agreed to bowl no-balls as part of a spot-fixing scam.Young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer and Majeed have also been charged with the same offences but are not standing trial alongside Butt and Asif. The judge has told the jury there is "nothing sinister" in their absence.

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Wisden to launch Indian edition

LONDON : Cricket bible Wisden is to launch a separate Indian edition, its publishers revealed on Monday.Cricket in India is booming and Wisden India will focus on all areas of the Indian game from Test matches through to domestic cricket and has set itself the aim of becoming the independent voice of cricket in the home of the reigning world champions."The chance to marry Wisden's age-old strengths with the 21st century home of the game was too good to ignore," added Wisden editor Lawrence Booth.The first edition will launch in October 2012 with the pool of writers expected to include some of the great Indian players as well as respected journalists.Founded in 1864, Wisden has been published every year since and is recognised around the world as the definitive record of the game.Bloomsbury sells about 40,000 editions of Wisden each year, but the potential in the Indian sub-continent is 50 times that, said director Richard Charkin.As well as the book, he also sees huge scope in the mobile phone and internet market, where it will provide commentary and opinions online. A new Wisden India Hall of Fame is to be set up to recognise the greats of the game.Bloomsbury have signed a long-term licensing agreement with sports marketing group FidelisWorld for Wisden India, with the deal also covering Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and North America, which has a large Indian ex-pat market.

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Gayle absence haunts Windies' Bangladesh tour

DHAKA : The glaring absence of Chris Gayle stood out as the West Indies prepared to open their Bangladesh tour with a Twenty20 international in Dhaka on Tuesday.The explosive left-hander was omitted for the tour, which also includes three one-dayers and two Tests, following a breakdown in his relationship with the West Indies Cricket Board following the World Cup earlier this year.As his compatriots warmed up in Bangladesh, Gayle emerged as the second highest scorer in the Twenty20 Champions League in India with 257 runs in six matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.Gayle, 32, has played 91 Tests, 228 one-dayers and 20 Twenty20 matches for the West Indies and has two triple-centuries in Test cricket to his name.But coach Ottis Gibson played down the absence of both the star batsman and leading all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, preferring to bank on his young players to deliver in Bangladesh."Do we need our senior players? I think we need everybody who is committed to us," Gibson had said at the start of the tour."Some people will think we need them. We are building a team and, of course, we need senior players that are committed to mix with the youngsters."The youngsters have taken the opportunity and done very well for us. As we are looking at the future, we will build a team around the younger guys.Bravo, who was also not considered for selection despite being fit, turned out for the Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League which ended in Chennai on Sunday.Marlon Samuels made up for their absence with an unbeaten 102 off 56 balls to help the tourists trounce the Bangladesh Cricket Board XI by 75 runs in a Twenty20 warm-up on Sunday.The West Indies piled up 195-3 in their 20 overs and restricted the home team to 120-6 to record a comprehensive win.Darren Sammy's men return to the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka where they dismissed Bangladesh for 58 in a World Cup game in March on way to a nine-wicket romp.Wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim will begin his reign as Bangladesh's new captain with Tuesday's Twenty20 clash, with all-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah as his deputy.Rahim replaces leading all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was sacked last month after a disastrous tour of Zimbabwe where Bangladesh lost both the Test and one-day series.

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Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf appointed new PCB chairman

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has appointed Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Prior to his appointment Ashraf was serving as the president of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank.

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UAE registers 15-run win over Afghanistan

United Arab Emirates registered a 15 run win over Afghanistan in the first game in the two-match 50-over Associate and Affiliate League encounter on Monday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.In a day-night match, UAE batted first and was bowled out for 198 in 44.3 overs. The key contributors to the UAE score initially was opener Faizan Asif (36) and one-drop Shaiman Anwar (42).Shaiman added crucial 79 runs for the third wicket with skipper Khurram Khan (53: 48b, 5x4, 1x6). UAE reached 131 for two in the 24th over, and looked set for a big score.But a collapse followed as the rest of the innings faltered in the face of some disciplined bowling by Karim Sadiq (3-32) and Dawlat Zadran (3-24).UAE could not post a big score but it still had something to defend.In its reply, Afghanistan lost early wickets and quickly slipped to 34 for three. It required a 59 run fifth wicket stand between Mohammad Nabi (39) and Gulbodin Naib (43) to revive the chase. But it was not to be.The lower-order offered a brief resistance when Hamid Hassan swung his bat for a brisk 22. But all that was too little too late. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and eventually UAE ran home winners.Sharif Asadullak (2-19), Ahmed Raza (2-33), skipper Khurram Khan (4-25) and Arshad Ali (2-39) shared the wickets amongst themselves.The second and final game between the two sides will be played on Wednesday, also at Sharjah and will again be a day-night fixture.

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Results of the ICC Executive Board meeting in Dubai

The ICC Executive Board held its fourth and final scheduled meeting of the year at the ICC headquarters in Dubai yesterday and among the decisions they made were:
Independent Governance Review
The ICC Executive Board received a progress report from Lord Woolf of Barnes in his role as chairman of the Independent Governance Review panel. Lord Woolf, who is supported by PricewaterhouseCoopers and advised by Judge Mudgal of India, praised the Board for embracing the concept of an independent review.Lord Woolf said: 'Organisations, whether global companies or international sports bodies, need to take necessary steps to ensure that their house is in order otherwise they would be extremely vulnerable. I think in cricket people recognize that they have to face the challenges and will be prepared to take the decisions that will allow them to function effectively.The independent governance review was identified as one of the most important initiatives in the new Strategic Plan 2011-2015 that was adopted by the Board in April 2011. The scope of the review is wide and includes:* Clarifying the role and structure of the ICC and its committees to ensure that strategic goals are met effectively and that decision-making is made in the best interests of the game. This would include consideration of independent committee members and directors
* The ICC President nomination and election process
* The Member categories and criteria for membership
* The effectiveness of the regulatory environment
* The Constitutional framework and documents to ensure they are 'fit for purpose'
* Making recommendations to ensure that the ICC enjoys a reputation as a well governed and leading global sporting organisation.
Sharad Pawar, the ICC President, said: 'Lord Woolf is a very eminent member of the judiciary in the United Kingdom and he has a clear picture of what is required of him and his support team. He was very open and frank with the Board and that was appreciated. Lord Woolf has made a positive start to his work and while acknowledging that cricket has already achieved many great things, he noted that there were challenges and important decisions to make to ensure that we continue to succeed in the future.'"I am also pleased that the Board has agreed to make the report public after it has met with Lord Woolf in February 2012.'PwC and Lord Woolf will continue their review and discussions with stakeholders and even though the time frame is tight they hope to report to the ICC Executive Board at their first meeting in 2012. Until the work is completed the ICC will not be in a position to make any comments.
ICC global event 2013
The ICC Executive Board confirmed their preference to host an ICC Test Championship in 2013 but recognized the significant commercial challenge in trying to replace the Champions Trophy. Without the support and consent of the ICC's broadcast partner, ESPN Star Sports, the financial implications on the Members and the development of the game would be significant.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: 'It would be unfortunate if the Test Championship is delayed to 2017 but the board needs to balance several objectives.'
Decision Review System

Following recent experiences and the resultant concern about the effectiveness of Hotspot, the ICC Executive Board decided to revert to its previous position to allow the participating nations to decide bi-laterally whether they wished to use the DRS. The ICC Executive Board however, supported the use of technology and its continued development and were encouraged by certain Members who were willing to use and work towards improving the technology.

Haroon Lorgat said: 'Although the DRS improves correct umpire decisions by around five per cent and corrects any blatant errors, there are some who are not convinced by its reliability. We will continue to work with interested parties to improve the system while permitting the participating teams to decide whether they wish to use it or not.'The Executive Board also confirmed that DRS would be used in all ICC global events.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Qualifying system
The Board approved the new Associates and Affiliates qualifying system that would determine four teams to join the ten Full Members in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.
The top two teams in the current eight team Associates and Affiliates ODI 50-over League played until October 2013 will progress automatically to the World Cup while the remaining six teams will join four other teams from the World Cricket League (i.e. teams placed 3rd and 4th in Division 2 and teams placed 1st and 2nd in Division 3) in a ten team qualifying event. The two finalists from this qualifying event will progress to the World Cup.
ICC Vice Presidency Nomination
In accordance with the current constitutional requirements of the ICC, the ICC Executive Board asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to submit their nomination for the ICC Vice Presidency 2012-14
The ICC Board consists of the chairman or president from each of the 10 Full Members plus three Associate Member representatives. Also present at ICC Board meetings is the ICC President, who chairs proceedings, the ICC Chief Executive and the ICC Vice-President, as well as, by invitation of the President, the ICC Principal Advisor.

Sharad Pawar	ICC President
Alan Isaac	ICC Vice-President
Haroon Lorgat	ICC Chief Executive
Ijaz Butt	Pakistan
Peter Chingoka	Zimbabwe
Giles Clarke	England and Wales
Jack Clarke	Australia
Upali Dharmadasa	Sri Lanka
Dr Julian Hunte	West Indies
Mustafa Kamal	Bangladesh
Imran Khwaja	Associate Member Representative
Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka	South Africa
Keith Oliver	Associate Member Representative
N Srinivasan	India
Neil Speight	Associate Member Representative
Dr Justin Vaughan	New Zealand (alternate for Chris Moller)
In attendance
Inderjit Bindra	ICC Principal Advisor
Apologies
Chris Moller	New Zealand

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How Swann conquered cricket

England off-spinner Graeme Swann has said that what makes him so proud is that he has remained true to his joking Jack-the-Lad character, even if it meant upsetting people along the way.Swann, whose explosive new autobiography The Breaks Are Off is being serialised in Sun Sport this week, has given us an exclusive and revealing interview.He talks about his mistakes, his refusal to compromise, the thrill of playing for his country and what really makes cricket's comedian laugh.Swann admitted: "I always think I've laughed my way through my whole career and had nothing but good times. But, looking back for this book, I realise I've had a few years when things were awful."I've never been someone to live life on an even keel. I'm fairly up and down - that's the way it should be, it's much more exciting like that. I don't see any point not experiencing life's highs and lows," he adds He also says that it was a shame that England did not celebrate The Ashes in 2009 as it did in 2005."I still think it was a big shame we didn't celebrate hard. Instead, we played a damp-squib match in Ireland. It was almost as though people were saying, 'We can't possibly celebrate again because last time Freddie got drunk and Hoggy p****d in a plant pot'Swann said that he always tries to look on the bright side and openly laugh at things."So, I can look back at missed opportunities, oversleeping for the bus on tour, taking the p*** out of Nasser Hussain too often. It makes me laugh out loud because they've shaped who I am and you learn from your mistakes," said Swann.He adds: "I'd hate to sit here now having kowtowed to people and brown-nosed. I don't think I could ever be honest with myself. When I'm bouncing my grandson on my knee and telling him about when I played, he'll look at me and say, 'Grandad, you did some stupid things'. And I'll reply, 'Yes, I did. Let me tell you about them'.Swann first toured with England to South Africa in 1999-2000 but, by his own admission, he was a cheeky upstart and not good enough for international cricket.The following years brought frustration and misery and, famously, former Northamptonshire director of cricket Kepler Wessels banning his team-mates from laughing at his jokes. It was not until he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005 that his career began to perk up."I feel I've been true to my character and I've been very lucky. I play up to the joker tag, I've cultivated it over the years. It's the perfect release of pressure," the England cricketer says."My wife Sara tells me, 'God, you're just like my dad. You say the same jokes over and over'."I won't change. I'm going to be one of those embarrassing dads when our little lad Wilf brings home a girl - and keep telling the same jokes. I like people who are willing to laugh at themselves. I guess it comes from my upbringing, although my brother Alec is the exact opposite," says Swann.

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