Pakistan cricketers and agent jailed for no-balls scam

Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has been jailed for 30 months for his part in the conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls in last year's Test match against England.

 The charges related to the fourth Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's in August 2010

Former world number two Test bowler Mohammad Asif was jailed for one year and bowler Mohammad Amir has been sentenced to six months.
Cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was jailed for two years and eight months.
The BBC's James Pearce is tweeting live from Southwark Crown Court in London.
The judge, Mr Justice Cooke, said cricket matches would forever be tainted by the scandal.
He told the defendants: "'It's not cricket' was an adage. It is the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it that make the offences so serious.
"The image and integrity of what was once a game but is now a business is damaged in the eyes of all, including the many youngsters who regarded you as as heroes and would have given their eye teeth to play at the levels and with the skills that you had."
The three players have all been ordered to pay compensation towards prosecution costs.
Butt was ordered to pay £30,937, Amir £9,389 and Asif £8,120.
The men were arrested after the fourth Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.
An undercover News of the World (NOTW) reporter paid Majeed £150,000 for details of the precise timing of three no-balls, which the players were persuaded to bowl, which were extremely valuable on the spot-fixing betting market.

Majeed claimed to have paid Asif £65,000, Butt £10,000 and Amir £2,500.
The judge told all the players they would be released on licence half way through their sentences if they behaved.
The trial heard that the cheating would never have been exposed without the investigative journalism of the NOTW.
The judge said: "Whenever people look back on a surprising event in a game or a surprising result, or whenever in the future there are surprising events or results, followers of the game who have paid good money to watch it live or watch it on television will be left to wonder whether there has been fixing and whether what they have been watching is a genuine contest between bat and ball."

Swann reveals Twitter threats

England spinner Graeme Swann claims he was sent death threats via Twitter in the aftermath of his side's one-day mauling by India.
A 5-0 series whitewash burst England's bubble following a summer of domination over the Indians and Swann, who was one of the 10 wickets lost for just 47 runs in Tuesday's final game, has revealed he bore the brunt of some fans' frustrations.
He told the Sun: "Although I don't condone death threats on Twitter, I could almost understand it when I had a couple of hundred people threatening all manner of retribution after Tuesday's match."
He added: "Not everyone in cyberworld has a perspective - after all, it is only a game of cricket. But you can almost understand why people get wound up.
"It can't be easy to watch us, not just losing but losing the way we did."
England's 50-over capitulation came in the aftermath of Swann releasing his autobiography, in which he criticised the leadership skills of former captain Kevin Pietersen, who remains a key part of the England side.
Team director Andy Flower suggested his players should wait until the end of their careers before penning their memoirs, but Swann insists his book has had no impact on team morale.
"England have endured a horror month but I can state right now it has nothing to do with what I wrote about Kevin Pietersen in my book," Swann, who will lead England in Saturday's one-off Twenty20 international added.
"People have claimed my observation that KP is not a natural leader and should not have captained England has caused dressing-room divisions and a breakdown in team spirit. Well, anybody who thinks that does not know this England team.
"The reason we lost the one-day series 5-0 to India is because we've been outplayed in conditions which suit the home team. No excuses, we've been hammered."

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.

Salman Butt agreed to bat maiden over: prosecutor

LONDON: Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt agreed to score no runs in an over during a Test match against England last year as part of a 'spot-fixing' scam, a court in London heard on Thursday.

Prosecutors said Butt, 26, confirmed in a telephone call with his agent a conversation recorded by an undercover journalist that he would bat out a maiden in the third Test at the Oval in August 2010.

Butt is on trial with fast bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, on charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling. They have both pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee told Southwark Crown Court that Butt's agent Mazhar Majeed rang the journalist from the now-closed News of the World tabloid, after an earlier arrangement for no-balls to be bowled in exchange for 10,000 pounds ($15,500, 11,600 euros) fell through.

In what Jafferjee said was "potentially damning evidence concerning Salman Butt directly", a plan emerged for Butt to bat out a maiden in the first full over he faced.

The journalist said that could happen in any case and that he wanted proof, so Majeed called Butt on his other phone and put it on loudspeaker so the reporter could hear.

"You know the maiden we were doing in the first over?", Majeed said.
"
Yeah", Butt replied. Majeed then tried to get him to do another in his third over, but Butt did not want to, the jury heard.

The following day Majeed met the journalist, then texted Butt four times to remind him to tap the middle of the pitch after the second ball he faced as a signal that he would bat out that over.

Jafferjee said that that day, "as events transpired at The Oval, matters were somewhat out of Butt's control", as he had come in to bat earlier than expected, faced a new ball and had to take a single run.

The journalist had pressed Majeed on why the promise he had paid for had not materialised. Majeed explained and the reporter said he wanted a no-ball or something from Butt.

Majeed said he could have two 'brackets' for 150,000 pounds in the next Test at Lord's. A bracket is where bets are made on incidents during a certain period of play, for example 10 overs.

"As events would prove, he got a bit of both no-balls from Asif and Aamer which could not have taken place without Butt's complete involvement," Jafferjee said.

Young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer and Majeed have also been charged with the same offences but are not standing trial alongside Butt and Asif.

Stallions tame rampaging Rams to lift T20 Cup in thriller

KARACHI: Sialkot Stallions survived a barrage of sixes from the rampaging Rawalpindi Rams batsmen before securing a tense 10-run victory in the final to lift the Faysal Bank T20 Cup at the National Stadium here on Sunday night.
The Stallions re-established their credentials as the undisputed T20 champions by lifting their sixth trophy in eight tournaments and maintaining their remarkable feat of never having lost a final.
The Rams, winners of the Super Eight T20 Cup, put up a gallant fight but just failed to make history as Dr Ishratul Ebad awarded the winners’ trophy to Stallions skipper Shoaib Malik and the prize-money of Rs2 million.
The finishing moments of what otherwise was a pulsating encounter, were marred by dispute over a no-ball adjudication by Asad Rauf, the ICC umpire who was officiating the final along with fellow ICC Elite panel umpire and three-time winner of the best umpire award Aleem Dar.
Asad’s interpretation was spot on because the delivery bowled by left-arm paceman Naved Arif was above waist to the injured Rams tailender Mohammad Rameez which resulted in two runs being added to the total.
Stallions skipper Shoaib Malik and several of his team-mates held up play for almost 15 minutes in that last over — in which the Rams needed 15 runs for victory — as they disputed that only one run should be given for the no-ball since it wasn’t a line call.
Until that unsavoury incident, the Rams who were the clear underdogs had treated a near full National Stadium to some sumptuous stroke-play with no less than eight sixes and 15 fours being hit by their batsmen with the big left-arm seamer Sarfraz Ahmed taking the brunt of the punishment with five sixes struck off his four overs, yielding 54 runs.
The standout batsman was Naved Malik who bludgeoned six fours and sixes in a superb knock of 67 from 47 balls. Fellow opener Awais Zia also played a blinder as he savaged his way to 32 off mere 13 deliveries. The talented left-hander’s knock featured five fours and a brace of sixes.
Raza Hasan, however, saved the blushes for his star-studded side by conceding just 11 runs from his four overs while claiming the vital wickets of Awais and Sohail Tanvir.
The young slow-left-armer was declared the Man-of-the-Match.
The Stallions stuttered at the start when ex-Pakistan opener Imran Nazir fell in the second over after another failure. This time he made 10 before being nicely held at mid-off by Naved Malik off Mohammad Rameez while going for an ambitious stroke.
But Shakeel Ansar, the tall wicket-keeper, and Qaiser Abbas carried the total to 100 as the right/left combination of batsmen put together a partner of 85 from 59 balls until both were dismissed in the space of four deliveries in part-time spinner Awais Zia’s first over, which was the 12th of the Stallions’ innings.
Shakeel clobbered six boundaries in scoring a 30-ball 39, while Qaiser made his first key contribution in this event by spanking five fours in his 34-ball 44.
The Stallions got a further boost from captain Shoaib Malik and Shahid Yousuf, their heroes in the six-wicket win in the semi-final against Lahore Eagles a day earlier, who added 67 in 38 deliveries.
Malik, who is hoping to resume his Test career after being named in the Pakistan squad for Sri Lanka series, looked in supreme touch once again while helping himself to a crafty 44 off 27 balls.
His innings was adorned with four fours and a six — the only such stroke in the entire Stallions innings — when he lifted spinner Samiullah over the long-on boundary on the final delivery of the 18th over.
Yasir Hameed of Abbottabad Falcons was adjudged the tournament’s best batsman for his 218 runs, while other awards went to Mohammad Rameez (best bowler, 11 wickets), Jamal Anwar (best wicket-keeper, five dismissals) and Lahore Eagles’ Azhar Ali (best fielder, six catches).

Pakistan players face 'spot-fixing' trial

LONDON: Three Pakistan Test players go on trial in London on Tuesday charged with spot-fixing during a match against England last year, allegations which rocked the world of cricket.

Former captain Salman Butt, prodigal talent Mohammad Aamer and star bowler Mohammad Asif are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat.

The players' agent Mazhar Majeed will go on trial alongside them charged with the same offences, which carry maximum sentences of seven years and two years in prison respectively.

The charges relate to allegations of deliberately bowling no-balls during England's fourth Test against Pakistan at Lord's in London in August 2010.

The allegations were made by the Rupert Murdoch-owned News of the World tabloid, which was closed down in July this year when it became engulfed in the phone hacking scandal.

At the time of the alleged offences, Butt, 26, was captain of Pakistan's Test side and had won plaudits for his leadership.

Asif, 28, was the team's senior pace bowler, while teenage left-arm swing bowler Aamer, 19, was regarded as one of the hottest properties in world cricket.

Majeed, from south London, is a sports agent with a history of working with Pakistan players.

Detectives raided the Pakistan team hotel in London as part of their investigations following the News of the World story.

The cricketers were outside Britain when summons were issued and they returned voluntarily.

A separate and independent International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal, sitting in Doha in February, banned the three players for a minimum of five years each.

Butt was banned for 10 years, with five suspended. Asif was banned for seven years, two of which were suspended, with Aamer handed a five-year penalty.

All three have filed appeals against their bans at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Faisalabad Wolves throw Afghan Cheetas out of T20 Cup

KARACHI: Surviving some anxious time, Faisalabad Wolves defeated Afghan Cheetas by 13 runs to grab their second win in group "B" in the National T20 Cup Cricket Tournament at National Stadium on Thursday evening.

Afghan Cheetas were well placed after 15 overs with 35 required in the last five overs. But three superb run-outs and tight bowling by Faisalabad bowlers restricted the visitors to 132-9 in 20 overs.

Chasing 146 for victory, Gulbodin Naib gave Afghan Cheetas a great start with whirlwind knock of 62 in 42 balls with ten delightful boundaries and two massive sixes. But with his departure Wolves gained the control.

Wicketkeeper Muhammad Salman, who toured West Indies with the Pakistan team earlier, top-scored with 26-ball 32 with four boundaries after they won the toss and elected to bat first.

Opener Asif Hussain belted four boundaries in his 23-ball 30 as Faisalabad Wolves made 145-8 in 20 overs. Skipper Misbah struggled for 16 in 17 with a solitary boundary.

With their second successive defeat Afghan Cheetas were knocked out of the race.
Afghan team will take on Multan Tigers on Friday noon.

Rawalpindi Rams beat Multan tigers by 5 wkts

KARACHI: Fast-medium bowler Mohammad Rameez, capturing four wickets for 24 runs with a hat-trick – the first in the tournament – guided Rawalpindi Rams to a five- wicket victory over Multan tigers on the fifth day of the Faysal Bank National Twenty20 Cup here at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Chasing 152, Rawalpindi Rams achieved the target with eight balls to spare. Their main contributors were Awais Zia (52) and Tahir Mughal (37).

Earlier, Multan Tigers made 151 runs for nine wickets in the allotted 20 overs after their captain Shabbir Ahmed won the toss and decided to bat first in the first match of the day.

Only four batsmen could get into double figures as other batsmen faced difficulty to play against the Rawalpindi Rams bowlers.

Rameez, the hat-trick boy, was later adjudged the man-of-the-match. He was supported by Samiullah and Yasin Murtaza who claimed two wickets each.

Ansar Javed (35 not out), Gulraiz Sadaf (35) and Kamran Hussain (32) were the main scorers for Multan Tigers.

Afridi inspires Dolphins to easy win over Leopards

KARACHI: Captain Shahid Afridi led from the front with a commanding all-round performance to inspire Karachi Dolphins to an easy eight-wicket victory over Islamabad Leopards in a day-night match in the Faysal Bank National Twenty20 Cup here at the National Stadium on Thursday.

Chasing 132, Karachi Dolphins completed the victory in 13.3 overs for the loss of only two wickets in their first match in the tournament.

Shahid Afridi, opening the innings with Sahhzaib Hasan (21), hammered 58 off 32 balls with six brilliant fours and two towering sixes.

Karachi Dolphins were 26 runs away from victory when Afridi departed after adding 70 runs along with Rameez Raja (2) for the second wicket partnership.

Then Raja and Asad Shafiq took 17 balls to reach the target and both remained not out on 36 and 10, respectively.

Earlier, Shahid Afridi and his bowlers through their accurate bowling restricted Islamabad Leopards to 131-9 in the allotted 20 overs.

Main scorers were Afaq Rahim (22), Moed Ahmed (21) and Nauman Masood (20).

Winning the toss, Islamabad leopards captain Rao Iftikhar Anjum decided to bat first but his batsmen could not resist against Karachi Dolphins attack, particularly leg-breaks and googlies by skipper Shahid Afridi, who captured three wickets for 20 runs.

Ajmal helps Wolves devour Tigers

KARACHI: Test off-spinner Saeed Ajmal bowled an outstanding spell to guide Faisalabad Wolves to an emphatic 54-run victory against Multan Tigers in their Faysal Bank T20 match at the National Stadium Karachi here on Wednesday.
Ajmal was in full as he picked up three wickets for just five runs as the Tigers were restricted 107-7 in 20 overs while chasing 162.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Gulraiz Sadaf scored 32, hitting a six and four boundaries, but failed to save his team from a big loss. Exciting left-hander Zain Abbas was also not at his blistering best and made a 27-ball 28. Imran Khalid bowled splendidly, picking up two wickets.
Earlier, a 57-run opening stand between Asif Hussain (25) and Asif Ali (44) laid a solid platform for Wolves to post a big total. But Wolves failed to capatilise on it and could only managed 161-8 in their allotted overs and that too with the help of 30 extras. Khurram Shezad made 43. Allrounder Kamran Hussain bagged two wickets. 
In the first match of the day, Nauman Habib and Test fast bowler Umar Gul shared seven wickets between them to help Peshawar Panthers beat Islamabad Leopards in Group ‘D’ opener.
Set a target of 151, Leopards were reduced to 4-18 in four overs before being finally bowled out for 122 in 19.3 overs. Naeem Anjum top-scored with a 41-ball 40 to save his side from a colossal defeat, while Afaq Raheem made a fluent 32. Nauman took four wickets with Umar Gul bagging three.
Earlier, Panthers posted a total of 150 for nine in 20 overs. Aftab Alam played an anchor role making 36 off 33 balls with a six and two fours. Zohaib Ahmed claimed three wickets.
On Tuesday night, Sialkot Stallions set a semifinal date with Lahore Eagles after they edged-out Lahore Lions with a six-wicket win in a low-scoring Group ‘C’ tie.
Lions chose to bat first and were put on back-foot by left-arm medium pace Sarfraz Ahmed, as he removed the dangerous Kamran Akmal (5) and Ahmed Shehzad (22) early on.
Lions had no answer against Stallions’ impressive bowling attack, which was bolstered by the return of Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Naved Arif (all were missing in the Super-Eight T20 event). In addition, Raza Hasan who played for Rawalpindi Rams’ was recalled to represent his native Sialkot side.
Meanwhile, apart from Lions’ skipper Abdul Razzaq (42) no one was able to rise to the occasion. They were all out for 121 in 19.4 overs.
Rana Naved bagged three wickets, while Raza Hasan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Abdur Rehman picked up two scalps each.
In reply, Stallions chased down the target with six wickets in hand and five balls to spare. Shahid Yousuf (47) and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar (42) both played sensible knocks to guide their side to victory. 

Lahore Eagles record second successive win in T20 Cup

KARACHI: Three wickets off first three balls in the final over of the match by fast bowler Junaid Zia sealed a 15-run victory for Lahore Eagles against Abbottabad Falcons in the Faysal Bank National Twenty20 Cup here at the National Stadium on Monday night.
Chasing 151, Abbottabad Falcons were collapsed for 135 runs in 19.3 overs as six of their batsmen could not get into double figures and two of them including captain Younis Khan got out for a duck.
Only opener Yasir Hameed, who had hit a century against Quetta Bears previous day, resisted to score 44 runs from as many balls while Yasir Shah contributed 28.
For Lahore Eagles, Junaid, Taufiq Umar and Mustafa Iqbal claimed two wickets each for nine, 16 and 24 runs, respectively.
Earlier, Abbottabad Falcons scored 150 runs for four wickets in the allotted 20 overs after captain Taufiq Umar won the toss and decided to bat first.
Openers Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar provided a fine start, making 87 runs in ten overs.
Imran made 43 runs from 31 balls with four boundaries and a six while Taufiq scored 35 off 36 balls with three fours.
Hamza Paracha was unbeaten on 28 while Azhar Ali hit 21 with a six.
For Abbottabad Falcons, Wajid Ali claimed two wickets while Junaid Khan and Khalid Usman took a wicket each.

Waseem Akram tried to ruin my career: Shoaib Akhtar

NEW DELHI: Shoaib Akhtar in his autobiography ‘Controversially Yours’ has accused Waseem Akram of trying to ruin his career. The former Pakistani fast bowler said that Tauqeer Zia supported him during that time.

The fastest bowler in the 134-year official history of international cricket - Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar has made some startling claims in his autobiography entitled 'Controversially Yours'.
From the preview of excerpts of Shoaib Akhtar, who holds the record for the fastest delivery in cricket ever clocking 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph), it transpires that the autobiography is no less controversial with the Rawalpindi Express admitting to ball tampering and also claiming that Sachin Tendulkar chickened out during the Faisalabad Test.
"I bowled (Sachin) a particularly fast ball which he, to my amazement didn't even touch. He walked away! That was the first time I saw him walk away from me - that, too, on the slow track at Faisalabad," he wrote in his book.
The former Pakistani stump-wrecker said that Master Blaster and The Wall are not match winners. "I think players like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid weren't exactly match winners to start with, nor did they know the art of finishing the game," he said.
In the autobiography, Akhtar also alleged that Shahrukh Khan and former Chairman of Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi cheated him. "Shahrukh and I talked about my not being happy with the money settled on me. Shahrukh and Modi got me to agree. I should have never listened to Modi and Shahrukh," he stated.
Akhtar, who retired from cricket following the 2011 World Cup, also revealed that he tampered with the ball claiming, "everyone tampers with the ball. I did so too. Tampering should be legalised."
The biography maps Shoaib's journey from his economically deprived childhood to his peak in international cricket. Born flat-footed, suffering whooping cough, the bowler describes the blood, sweat and tears that took him to breaking the 100 mph barrier.
Comfort stayed elusive. Akhtar describes the severe class discrimination marring Pakistani cricket, his humiliation and his failures, including ball-tampering and even attacking teammates with a bat.
Alongside, he takes on Pakistani and international players, coaches, selectors and the media. "Shoaib Malik did not deserve to be captain and was made captain because he was a stooge of the PCB Chief Naseem Ashraf," stated Akhtar.
Not just this, the former Pakistani pacer also went on to claim that legendary Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram attempted to finish his career. He stated, "Wasim Akram threatened to walk out with half the team if I was included in the team. General Tauqir Zia backed Shoaib against Wasim."
A right hand fast bowler, Akhtar was born on August 13, 1975, in Rawalpindi. He remained involved in several controversies during his career.
In 2005, he was sent home during the Test series in Australia for unprofessional attitude. A year later, he was snared in a drug scandal after testing positive for stimulants. He was banned in September 2007 for picking up a fight with teammate Mohammed Asif, and in the following year banned for five years for criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board. In October 2008, the Lahore High Court suspended the ban.
Akhtar retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.

Top umpire Aleem Dar returns home

LAHORE: Pakistani and ICC's top umpire Aleem Dar returned home after clinching ICC award for the umpire of the year for the third consecutive year.

A large crowd present at the Allama Iqbal International Airport accorded warm welcome to the Pakistani umpire.

Talking to media at the airport, Dar said that he felt proud to be Pakistani. He further said that it was not his award but of Pakistan. He said that the central contract for umpires should also be introduced in the country.

He said domestic cricket in Pakistan should be promoted so that new players and umpires would come to light.

T20 event shifted to Karachi

KARACHI: National T20 event has been moved from Lahore to Karachi due to dengue epidemic in the Punjab, Geo News reported.

President Asif Zardari on Tuesday ordered the country's cricket authorities to shift the domestic T20. The idea to relocate the championship came up during a meeting between the president and sportsmen during a meeting Tuesday.

Sources said that Zardari used his powers as PCB's chief patron to move the event from Lahore because of a dengue outbreak after Board chairman Ijaz Butt told him that the event cannot be relocated because of technical problems.

T20 event will be held in Karachi from September 25 as scheduled.