It requires some character to resist the allure of easy money. Usually the character of an individual is a reflection of his cultural and moral upbringing. As a failed state, Pakistani society's emphasis has always been on misplaced values that result in disgraceful headlines on and off cricket field. Therefore it is no wonder Pakistanis fail miserably in things that require a good deal of moral rectitude.

Pakis cannot relate to civilized sports.

Imran Khan = bottle cap cheat

Inzi = Hot tempered 'potato'

Wasim, waqar, Aaqib = Ball tamperers

Shoaib Akhtar = Hot tempered 'chucker'.... etc

S Malik = Factional, fixer

S. Butt = Fixing ring leader

Asif = Druggie, fixer

Amir = Prodigy? fixer

Akmals (Khatmals?) = Fixers

I have more respect for a B'Desh or Afghan XI for that matter.

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/diffstrokes/archives/2010/03/should_any_family_be_this_tole.php

Even if the players are found guilty and get caught , time will play its part , and they can regain there way to cricket after a span of 1 year maye be. Firstly they will be banned for life , then it will be changed to 1 year and they on a heavy fine they will be released to play. In the past YOSUF , RAZZAK , MALLIK , all made a come back after getting a life ban . For this case also , same will happen.
Atleast Shoaib Akhtar was not involved in such kind of acts , the poor guy gets angry ,,and for that you guys have kept him away for so long . lets see how you will deal with this fresh roar.

I only feel sorry for Amir, Asif is a confirmed drug abuser and should have been shut out of cricket a long time back - It seems like the end of the road for both of them now, the bad influence in the Pakistani team must be rooted out if they are to continue playing cricket which seems doomed now. Thanks Amir we enjoyed your short and enterntaining stint in internation cricket but the obvious no ball (half a metre over the line) was too deliberate to
not get the ani curruption units attention. Bye bye...

i seriously doubt the authenticity of this video and all the other proof,i blv this all to be a conspiracy as it has always been on an england tour,first it was ball tampering and now match fixing or spot fixing,who would validate that this video was not cooked up and was shot before the match and not after the match?if this chap was known to be a fixer what was ACU doing in dubai?and why wasnt icc or ACU not taken onboard by NOTW that they had credible proof of fixing before the bowling of noballs..? if they were so concerned of fixing they should have taken the management or atleast ICC onboard and try to be really sure that it was taking place...

new member ajaz zeb.
to vivavizag:
surely you cant compare the moral character of a whole 170 million strong nation based upon sporting events, please leave your personal feeling at home. secondly inzi = hot tempered potato, this is not even in line with your own arguement.
however that is by the by,
me as a pakistan cricket fan, i am absolutley disgusted at this current debacle and hope for a thorough investigation and lifetime bans for all involved
adios
ajaz zeb

Selecting Punjab XI not Pakistan XI creates fertile ground for match-fixing friendly environment! This is one of the reason why Punjab XI & PCB supports each other & discriminates players & official from Karachi & other region for the key positions they don’t want likes of Rashid Latif in their midst. Here is an interesting chain reaction Judge Qayyuom is from Punjab Akram from Punjab & the current Punjab XI they all have soft corner for each other like we see in the case of Mr. Qayyuom who said “He was lenient on Wasim” this is a ‘Sada Prra” phenomenon (Punjabi Brotherhood) in action as long this attitude exist without the opposition from Karachi & other region Punjab XI will always have open field for their agenda & Pakistan will kept on getting humiliated. Its time for the people of Punjab to condemn their ‘Sada Prra’ attitude educate Punjab the most needed 21st century meaning of plurality & get them out of racist mentality this will restore the sanctity of the name Pakistan.

The Karachi newspaper Dawn has reported about Asif's ex girl friend Ms Veena Malik who claims that Asif was a serial match fixer and she seems to have some personal knowledge about it. A neutral party will have to verify the claims made by her, but it sounds disturbing. Samir has a point, spot fixing may very well add up and corrode the the game and the player completely.

I am most thoroughly disappointed by the Pakistani media, you included. They are using this event to increase their viewing and reading and are at the front line to malign their own. Match fixing (which this is not, by the way) and player involvement happens universally. I would really like someone in the media to investigate what were the odds of England losing the 3rd test, or dropping 6 catches, or Broad scoring a century in the 4th, or Pieterson, Colly and Morgan all out for a duck! And also follow the money trail to see who gained and how much! Matches with unusual results have been happening for decades (eg the greatest one day ever played - yeah right!). Even today - just look at the tri series in Sri Lanka, but no one questions or investigates them until some foolish, money hungry newbie does what everyone else is doing but rather stupidly! Why cant the Pakistani media carry out a sting of their own in some other parts of the world instead of their own back yard?!!

Nothing new, nothing shocking. It's just that they got caught. And then there are those who did not (get caught). Big bucks in endorsements, even though performances are lacklustre and poor. So who cares? Look at our Indian players who are so busy shooting for commercials and courting glamour, that they have little time for the game that has got them there in the first place. A commercial here, a walk on the ramp there - we are flooded by commercials forcing us to watch many of these dimwits who annoy fans with their indifference and lack of performance on the field. Answer? Ban all players from shooting commercials and endorsements, at least to some limit. Currently we see our players more in TV commercials than in games!

The above post is the exact reason corruption never ends in pakistan. They turn their backs to all truth, fairness, honesty and all principles of value. Instead make themselves believe the world is comprising against them.
Its hilarious when pakistanis do the sijda(bow to allah god) when they win or reach a milestone.

i fully support the views of mubashar, it appears to be a conspiracy which pakistan team always face in in england whether is 1992 1996 or last tour. pcb should challenge all these allegations.

Neither ball tampering allegations were proven by English media nor will this issue be proven. This video is not good enough to call them cheats. One can make it any time so it might be made after the no ball were delivered to defame such brilliant talents. They tried to do this to Wasim and Waqar also. So let them investigate the matter for now and remember they are innocent untill proven guilty.

Let the punishment be proportionate to the crime (if one was committed). Let no unjustified extrapolation be done as to this match and other previous matches like the Sydney test. These no-balls did nothing to affect the result of the match. Let calls by stupid editors and self appointed guardians of the game's purity to abdandon the series be scorned. These are poor kids.

This crime is like picking a pocket and giving a life ban will be like capital punishment.

Laws vary from country to country and in this case, it seems like defrauding a bookmaker seems to have been the crime. In other countries, such bookmakers are themselves illegal, so where is the crime?

The sting, if authentic, indicates that the team has their own fixer, willing to act as a go between. Conjecture...Spot fixing was discussed because the guy could only sell spots, having already sold the main show!
For concerts etc, once the main sponsor is engaged, the only sponsorships on offer are the smaller onces. Mazhar claimed they made 1.3 M for Sydney @40/1 odds. What must the odds have been @55/5? at Lords?

The problem is endemic and we really have no idea how far it has spread and who all are involved. Banning a few players will not root it out. Police should investigate and bust the mafias or it will mushroom elsewhere. Pakistan with its weak administration, banana republic governance and poor policing and protection is easy pray for fixers and stingers.

Out here, greed is flanked by fear. Waseem Akram's father was kidnapped. What did it take to free him? Are we protecting players & families if they dare to say no? how far up does this go? half measures wont work!

shame for pakistan team.in sub player ko jail meim jaina cheiye.and check these team player assets speciel akmal bradran shoaib malik salman butt.

To say that because Pakistan is a failed state that all pakistani are cheaters is too harsh. Look at the IPL fiasco, the indian cricket team has not done better. They also had their scandals. Or look at Shane Warne or the south african team. One cannot say that it has to be the whole nation. We are all worried about what is going on in the pakistani cricket team and i hope that this time PCB reacts correctly and wipe out all the trash out of the team. I think the Pakistani team needs a restart with throughout new people coming in to the team. Also PCB needs to focus on education of the team member - they are all coming from very poor background and getting so much money can get you on the wrong track.

Please finish Pakistan Cricket....Thet realy hurts..Especially Akmals,Malik and Asif...(Criminals)

I agree with mubashar, though odds seem to be against this. I wish he is proven right. Cricket or any other sport can't afford such malaise. Every other area in this world is getting rotten be it politics, corruption, climate , CWG games in India, terrorism and so on. Sports was suppose to be the redeeming area as it advocated discipline, punctuality alongwith virtues of fighting spirit, honesty, etc.

Alas, there will be more disclosures in coming days.

Lets follow the South African model. After Hansie Cronjie's revealation, they shut everything existing and started anew. They faced tough times, very tough times, no doubt, especially the Indian police and all that, but they stuck it out. See today, they are standing tall. Neat and clean.
As a starter, let's Dismiss the entire PCB board. The present 11 players.

Not the Pakis but every one is involved in fixing almost...
Cronje,Gibbs, Boje,Shane warne,tim may,azhruddin,prabhakr,kapil dev,jadeja, ..and icc promoting this through IPL.
And indians are the mail culprit..as they have great muscle in cricket financials and they have the bookie networks.
So India is the base of the ICEBERG whose tip has started melting through this paki fiasco.

What a disaster, this is Pakistan and the whole wide world knows it and of course nothing can be done about it. Already they cannot play international cricket in their own country and very soon there will be no cricket for them in neutral venues and who knows whether other cricketing countries want to play with them either. The blame not only lies with the players but with the PCB as well for their ineffective ways of handling matters.

I genuinely feel sorry for the Pakistani people.
Even when the truth stares them in face that a deep rot has set in their cricket team, they still want to hide behind conspiracy theories. It is a matter of time before we start hearing about the Indian/Western/Jewish(?) hand in brining disrepute to the Pakistani team.
What they need to look into is the real motivation of their players. Are they proud to be Pakistanis? Proud enough dig in and fight for glory. Not only for victory on the cricket field but even off the field, when they have to fight regionalism, nepotism, favoritism and ad hoc-ism within their cricketing set up.
Or may be the individual players do not see a bright future for Pakistani cricket and just want to earn some quick bucks and stash them away.

cannot say anything for sure. just heard k bookmaker has been released on bail. Ex-ICC chairman demanding ban on pakistan cricket. Why only pakistan was targeted if we look at international matches of other teams in past 6 months few performances of other teams have been very questionable. Indian lost to zimbabwe twice in a series. india bowled out for 88 then they also bowled out newzeland. austrlia got defeted by england.

So if Amir was distracted when he was destroying the England top order on Friday, how good would he have been if he wasn't worrying about when to bowl no-balls?

@Vivavizag, before you start generalizing and accusing pakistani players, look at what your Indians have done .... from the top of my head here are few instances:
All the bookies come from India, then we have Modi the biggest fish ever caught in match fixing scandal, Azhar and Jadeja banned because of match fixing, Tendulkar caught tampering the ball, Dravid caught red handed tampering the ball .... so before pointing finger at others, do remember three remaining fingers are pointing at you :)

@vivavizag..there is nothing wrong in expressing your jealous feeling against pakistan mate because its your right.but all the names you have mentioned tell me 1 indian honest,gentleman and great bowler than the ones you have mentioned..and its a great thing in its own right that these players had done so well when the had delibretely played bad many times..on original topic i as a pakistani feel extremely hurt by this act that players have done and want them punished as well by icc not pcb but if you want to chellenge the skills and quality of pak fast bowlers ask muthal sorry mithun and sharkma oh sharma to use any 'thing' and revese the ''balls'' ..

why do i still have a softer corner for aameer... it is probably because he is such a special talent..same as i had for wasim.. i mean somewhere it feels he deserves another chance.. just becase he is such an amazing talent.as much as i hate the idea ofmatches being rigged.. or shame on cricket.. please authorities shud once and for all get rid of this .. so that another young aameer doesnt get involved in such a thing..poor u aameer... what were you thinking.. i wish he comes clean.. others.. frankly can be replaced.. but make no mistake... ameer is different..

pakistan should be banned from plying cricket. Even PCB and even chief pattern (president of pakistan) would be involved in the fixing so we cannot expect any harsh action against players. investigations should from pak team management and PCB chairman. If ICC cannot do that they should stop Pakis from playing.

Cone on guys , there is no conspiracy,no English infiddles out there to destroy the Cricket of us the Pure Momen Pakistanis .
Whe you have a confirmed match fixeure (Shoab Malik)in the team , when you have Confimred loan defaulter (Ijaz Ahmed) as an assiatnce coach , when you have Tainted player let off easily in Justice Qayuum report (Waqar Younis) as the head coach when
you have confirmed deliberate under perfomers in (Akmals)and when you have accused fixer(Yawar saeed pointed out by no other than ex captain & chief selector Suhail Amer yesterday ) as a manager in the team ,who needs any body else to cook up a conspiracy to tarnish the Image of Pakistan .. ITS HOME GROWN DISEASE PEOPLE ..

Mubashar, i am also dubious about the authenticity of the video, but the investigation that is being carried out now, is not really based on a video carried out by some journalists. They will be based on solid proofs. So the video part is interesting, but it wont necessarily be used as proof. And ofcourse it makes sense, it isnt really the journalist's duty to collaborate with ICC... they will first wait for the action to happen, and after it happened, they got in touch with police/scotland yard. It is pretty amazing actually what just happened. You can just see from the players' face, the guilt. When people usually don't commit a crime, they usually come out shouting they didn't do it. In this case, you can silently see them praying that there isn't enough proof. Too bad, they kept the stash of money in their rooms!

Pakistani fans should not dismiss this as a conspiracy deep down we know that our players cannot resist the temptation of illegal and quick money. The last 5 years have been a disaster for Pakistani cricket, corrpution, lack of leadership and lack of focus.

Pakistan should consider themselves very lucky to still be a part of the international cricket scene after all the various scandals. We have just brought our country and cricket down to such a low level and i feel ashamed that the players have let there country down and all i can say is thanks to ECB for allowing us play test series in their country. We have now brought the corruption and scandals to your shores as well, for that i can only apologise.

The PCB needs to be sacked and all players implicated should be banned for life.

Spread betting or spot betting is not new. Infact, I also remember Cricinfo having non commercial betting for various spreads in IPL. It is only logical that someone would take money to achieve these instances. On another hand, there is a different meaning for "Time heals every wound" in subcontinent. Over a period of time, people implicated and involved in match fixing get better in life. Azhar is a MP, Jadeja (though cleared by legal process) is expert for TV Channel, Wasim and enjoys cult status in India as well, Waqar is part of Pak coaching team etc. If no other team or members of other teams are not found to be involved, then it might also be a issue restricted to Pakistan and its political and economical turmoil. Also, if none from India are found wanting in this issue, we should thank the unbelievable money players in India get through endorsements. Afterall I better crib and cry over the money they earn legally than to find out they earn money illegally.

As long as pakis send their kids to madrasas, no wonder they dont have dearth for the future Asifs, Aamirs, Akmals, Butts etc.....go school get life pakis.....

This video was clearly taken before, else you would have heard about it till now. Also, videos do have the information on the date they were taken. So there was no questioning the authenticity of the proof. Now at least we can hope a fresh investigation would be made on the nature of Bob Woolmer's death. Pakistanis are a nation of cheats, and all they do other than that is to sulk against India. If instead of conspiring against India, if the Pakistani government had an iota of responsibility and taken care of their people by attending to their welfare, people would not have been given to such moral and ethical decline. Without that the society is rotten to the core.

on viva visag - maybe as an Indian vivia should not forget that Indians are not in a different league either with several scandals of their own looming in the political or non-political world (ofcourse that is not to defend the heinous act been committed by the paki cricketers or any political figure) but lets not forget the fact that many of the indian politicians have been caught on video while taking kickbacks, thus probably talking about values and integrity doesnt suit an Indian.

Stop making a mountain of a mole hill (i.e. spot-fixing). You're exactly right, spot fixing doesn't alter the final result or even impact the game much. So for all the Pak public drowning in sorrow or predicting utter damnation, take a chill pill! So while the distractions you list may be possible or even probable, it's equally likely that such distractions could stem from a sick parent, a broken family, a bad business decision and a million other reasons. So what now? Are we gonna institute a "Thought Police" to make sure each player is 100% focusing on ONLY the game. Don't be an idiot! Please read what I wrote in Pak Spin. I stand by it. BTW I'm Indian. I respect Pak fast bowlers, and the M's are awesome! Who cares about this BS incident!

I thought that the problem of betting and match fixing associated with the Pakistani team woould have disapperared with the death of Bob Woolmer in Jamaica under suspicious circumstances during the last Cricket World Cup.. Had his sudden and untimely death occurred in a country with a less corrupt police force, foul play would probably have been established. Having established foul play, the link to betting might have followed.
The ICC would then have been a position to apply appropriate sactions against Pakistan and consequently the problem might not have resurfaced.

Come on Mubashar, ru kidding me!!!!! Wake up and smell the coffee... After the Australia/ N'Zealand tour performances I was thinking maybe but now I'm 100% sure. These guys are SOLD.I'm not going to watch a single match if one of these 7 clowns are allowed to play again. I have been a die hard Pakistan cricket fan but today I'm ashamed to call myself their fan. Sorry Mohammed Amir, I greatly enjoyed watching you perform, but now u put a bitter taste taste in my mouth. I honestly think all 7 of them are guilty as hell. I REST MY CASE.

Dear Chopra,Spot fixing may affect the outcome of a match as well.For instance,you bowl three no-balls at specific instants of a match and you see that the batsmen were out on those deliveries had those been legal deliveries.And at the end, those reprieved batsmen may cost you the match,even if now you try to bowl to them wholeheartedly.

I don’t agree with VivaVizag’s comments, I don’t think Pakistan as a country is a cheater or failed state, instead of this they may be confused society who is unable to overcome from outcome of the directionless system given by their political class. Pakistan always produce extraordinary talent (which is always surprising factor in an unorganized system) for world cricket and we all can’t denied this. Current Spot fixing row should not be a new thing for all of us who have seen the match fixing dirt in 90’s, it’s a form of that negative phenomenon which is present in every sport, simply because nowadays sports is not only a sport it’s a business also, and no where in world any business can be executed with 100% honest practices, so, we all fans should react positively on this issue, these negative vibes of Sport fixing is just a repeated wake up call for all cricket authorities to understand and seriously work on right measures to control this, if they will snooze again then no one can save this game of cricket to vanish from the world of sports

@Toescrusher Its not only Punjabi attitude but also its every where in Pak. Imran was blamed to bring all Pathan guys into the team

Dear Viva

How would you judge the misdeeds of Azahruddin , Lalit Modi and Commonwealth Orgainizing Committee in India. Do they alos reflect the moral upbrining of your Indian nation

Vivavizwag half your comments just seem petty, the other half are true but the same could be said of some fmr Indian players but i wont bore you with a list as you know the amount of cheats and frauds that have come out of there.

That being said, Asif, Butt and Akmal should be banned for a number of years if these allegations are proven. Amir should be given a shorter ban due to his age and he is the only one i feel sorry for. He was probably just following orders from his seniors. If other countries had a talent like him then they would probably be saying the same thing so i find it heinous when i hear other people from other countries say that they should get a life ban. When Cronje got a life ban, the rest of the players involved didnt as they were following orders.

Asif should get a long ban as he has let down the country for too long. Butt should get a long one as he was probably the ring leader-the same should apply to Akmal.

Amir is the only one that should be shown clemency

We are united in corruption:India and Pakistan.It has become a part of life. This investigation, if allowed to carry on through to its full course will lead to a massive connection in India, of that I am certain.
But when it comes to setting benchmarks for these events , no one can come close to the Pakistanis. And I agree that this somehow has to be reflective of the moral fabric of the common people in Pakistan somehow, for the Pakistani players are but a representative of a huge cross section of these people.The reason they do it , is not only there is easy money, but because they do not think it is morally wrong.
This country should really be banned for at least a couple of years from all forms of cricket. The cricketing world would hopefully be a much safer place.

now every action in cricket will be doubted for Spot fixing. When Shahid Afridi's Ball eating incident happen that time my father douted it was a fixed action and i was laughing but now i can understand very clearly that action was also fixed.

Firstly, I am particularly disappointed by the racial undertones in a lot of the reporting and blogging of this whole matter.

I think Malcom Speed was right to welcome this (coming into the open), as to leave it festering out of sight, only allows the problem to continue to grow.

I do believe, however, that there should be a thorough and INDEPENDENT investigation. Whether the ICC should do this or even be involved is a moot point. It (the ICC) has been pretty powerless in many areas of the game for years now, and it is debatable whether it has the real ability, or demonstrable and clear integrity, to undertake this poison-chalice of a task.

Finally, to see a broad-brush approach to the entire Pakistan nation is both laughable and vindictive. No-one yet knows the extent of any individuals involvement, but to cast a shadow over 170 million souls is disgraceful. The Pakistan Test team has a number of fine cricketers, is personal integrity within all their characters?

Pakistani cricket should be banned like Zimbabwe was till they clean their act. Their managements lack of action could taint game for every fan in the world

The recent tri-series in Srilanka had strange results with teams scoring record low totals on one day and good scores on another day.No balls and wides were flung by the dozen.A lot of people believe that the results were fixed.High time that the ICC does a proper investigation to clear all doubts if any that people may have.The matches played by other countries like S.Africa,Australia,England also needs to be investigated.The lure of big time money can be too tempting to anyone,not only the pakistani players.

That's why Pakistan's team is the most interesting team in the world; they keep everyone on the edge. The haters will always hate but cricket wouldn't be interesting without the Pakistanis, and that's something even the haters can't deny. Like it or not Pakistan keeps the fans all over the world watching cricket because you never know what is going to happen when they play.

Well said "Nothing new, nothing shocking"....Shocking is that the guy is released on bail...Butt, Asif n company need some life tips from Azhar, Jadeja n company as this particular issue would keep them out for a while...

i am really amazed betting has been legalised by englishmen the root cause of fixing. It is not allowed in christianity. But they made it acceptable to society. That is a big business so they will not stop it. So how can fixing be eradicated

To add to the comments of VivaVizag, I remember in one of the television interviews given by Imran Khan in the presecene of Ajay Jadeja, Imran Khan, during his captaincy days, spoke about giving all his players a tablet called 'day trip' to his players on the eve of the match to enable them to rest peacefully and be ready for the next day's action.

Way back in '97, during the Bangalore test match, an acquaintance of mine, who was a bookie and a cousin of Asif Iqbal mentioned to me that he was taking bets on a. Pakistan will win the toss; b. The pitch is a spinning track and c. There will be a result. I was too naive then to think it through and now it is clear that this malice has been prevalent all along. I was excited to watch Asif & Amir bowl in tandem, quite similar to watching the two W's, but alas...
For long, Pakistan team has let themselves down, ball tampering, doping, match fixing, fighting, in-fighting, factionalism.. the list is endless. Makes me think if Woolmer's death was also a cover-up. It's a monumental shame really, especially when they pretend to be religious & virtuous. Let's just hope for the game's sake that the investigation goes all the way and the guilty weeded out of the game permanently. Is this cancer rooted in India, what with the king-pin sitting in Karachi these days, but still controlling Ind ops

@ DeeDee: You seem to be oblivious to how the world works. you want to cut-off the legal source of income for the players as a solution for match-fixing - illegal source of income!!! Anyway, all players are required to train and practice for certain number of days a year and for each series. So, what they do in their personal time - spend time with their families, or shoot commercials - is none of your business. But anyway, you seem to have this typical Indian mentality of berating other's successes solely out of envy. I'm sure if you played for India or son/brother did, you/he would definitely see nothing wrong in endorsing products in your free time and it'd be the right decision too. Anyway, the issue here is fixing allegations and not how much money cricketers are making.

And the whole point of sport is that the performance of individuals varies from game to game. Else, there is no intrigue. So, just because there was a surprise result doesn't automatically mean it's fixed.

Way back in '97, during the Bangalore test match, an acquaintance of mine, who was a bookie and a cousin of Asif Iqbal mentioned to me that he was taking bets on a. Pakistan will win the toss; b. The pitch is a spinning track and c. There will be a result. I was too naive then to think it through and now it is clear that this malice has been prevalent all along. I was excited to watch Asif & Amir bowl in tandem, quite similar to watching the two W's, but alas...
For long, Pakistan team has let themselves down, ball tampering, doping, match fixing, fighting, in-fighting, factionalism.. the list is endless. Makes me think if Woolmer's death was also a cover-up. It's a monumental shame really, especially when they pretend to be religious & virtuous. Let's just hope for the game's sake that the investigation goes all the way and the guilty weeded out of the game permanently. Is this cancer rooted in India, what with the king-pin sitting in Karachi these days, but still controlling Ind ops

Although i am a pakistani, but i feel really ashamed being related to them. they are basically like snakes waiting to show their true color. infact they feel pride in doing such things. A man is not considered a full man until he proves himself by beating another person. The language is not considered fully developed until they learn how to abuse.
So for them to grow up from childhood they have to do something crooked. which would prevent them from going back to their childhood.

Its not true that the little fixes are an on-the-side thing with little bearing on the putcome of the match. Looking at the NOTW's transcripts, the guy talks about 'brackets' 0-5 overs, 0-10 overs etc where batsmen dont make over certain runs and bowlers give away min certain number of runs. That I think has huge implications on the outcome of the game if the bowler happens to be someone like asif or amir.

Spot fixing or whatever you want to call it is really match fixing in small doses.

For me at this point seems another Indian attempt to demoralized Pakistan as a nation as as they have tried their best before.

So my opinion for all the (Indian) gentlmen journalists that keep this time yourself nuetral for the sake of Cricket.

Dear Toescrusher,

Please leave the topic of Punjab 11....

We also feeling sorry for the Youn Khan,Asim Kamal(Fantastic Player)

The issue of match fixing is not confined to Pakistan. The hub of all match fixing is in Mumbai where the big match fixing mafia operates.
People like Majeed are small time middle men working for the Indian bookmakers.

If the ICC has to tackle the issue of match fixing, they have to get down to tackling the Mumbai Connection. But I doubt if ICC can do that. Flush with money (via IPL and bookmaking), the Indian cricket establishment has now the control of the ICC and world of cricket.

@VivaVizag - How could you forget the most (in)famous Ball Biting by Shahid Afridi which was lot more recent?

Stop looking only at Pakistan in this entire debacle. It is only that they are the ones who are caught more often than any body else while in the act, otherwise, this is wide spread all over the world. So, instead of bringing arguments like taking Pakistan out of ICC, how about addressing the root cause - banning all sorts of betting, besides treating those involved as criminals (I still cannot believe, Azharuddin is shamelessly representing in the parliament) with no further chance whatsoever in life.

Some r giving racist comments.This is nothing to do with it.If u compromise on issues,than these things happens.These players make pressure groups and only keep those players who listen to them classic example of Khurram Mansoor who scored 70 runs in his last inning as opener in Austerlia is not in team.Shoaib Akhtar was out for the same reason.Then they fine heavily to players who dont compromise with them.People in Pakistan r so depressed due to BCP's attitude,in bad times.As for as cricket talent is concern Pakistan is still number one.We still have 10 bowlers who can bowi as good as Amir or Asif ,may be better.

What a waste of talent!!!!! I really enjoyed Asif and Amir's bowling. Now I cannot stand to watch them without feeling like throwing up. Why would somebody give up such a promising career for such short term gains??? I hope somebody can enlighten me.

This is a NATIONAL DISGRACE.....and if and when the allegations are proven....all parties concerned must be punished to the full EXTENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW....not a self protecting law manufactured in Pakistan.

For the good of the game the Pakistan Cricket Board should hand over all affairs to a neutral ICC selected PANEL....that is paid by ICC.
A panel of international selector (including former Pakistani players) must select a SELECTOR GROUP....again all selectors will have ICC Panel as their boss and also get paid by the ICC.
No games will be played in Pakistan for next 5 years.
Pakistan should be banned from all International Matches till 2016.
These acts NEED to be punished. I would like to see prison terms for all parties involved directly in this scandal.
I will read the articles in details.....it is about to become an International Headline.

@VivaVizag - I'm not satisfied with this line:
"I have more respect for a B'Desh or Afghan XI for that matter"

Cause Bangladeshis are giant killer. They're far to good than Afgan XI. Your comments reflects something else. Do you remember the World Cup match between Bangladesh and India? Or Bangladesh Vs South Africa? Bangladesh is a team which has beaten all the top sides of this world. How dare you to put Bangladesh beside Afgan XI? I don't have any interest on what you think regarding Pakistani Cricketers. As a Bangladeshi my only problem is your vision regarding the rising powers(Bangladesh, Ireland)etc. Try to show some respect buddy. You'll find plenty of Indian cricket lovers here in Bangladesh but I'm not sure how you people look at us.

I am an Indian but still admire the pakistani cricketers. Imran and Wasim were one of my favourite cricketers. I am deeply troubled by the happenings in Pakistan cricket. This is primarily because of the mismanaging by the board.What can you expect when you have people like Zardari at the helm of affairs. They are making a mockery of the game in the country.Captains get dropped, players get dropped, life bans are put in, they are then turned into one year bans, then players are just given warnings and fines and are inducted back into the team.A player like Mohd.Asif is caught carrying drugs in Dubai and you see him playing in their team after a few months.Don't these people have any sort of moral values.Whats the point of praying, fasting and committing all sorts of sins.

Letz take a guess who cud be other three??? with Butt, Amir, Asif, Akmal the four known !!!!
Yeah i really do feel sorry for poor Shoaib Akhtar....atleast he never was involved in this bullshit....nd look how he has suffered for hot temper....atleast hez not a cheat!!!! letz wait for all these 7 to get life ban and den year after ban bein lifted nd dere u go all back in team!!! Sorry Akhtar i really do wish u were born in India!!!!!

If we look at the picture attached to this article we will see Amir wearing Pakistan outfit. As a Pakistani, I am extremely hurt. Not only hurt that we 'should' lose such a talented player but also that how can these players wear their country's outfit and toy with the emotions of the fans and their supporters.

I would like to request the ICC not to allow PCB to make a decision in this case. ICC should ban any players found guilty from playing any ICC recognized cricket, be it, International, IPL, Domestic First Class, County etc.

These players didn't realize that they were not playing for a club or an organization (not saying it is ok) but were playing for their country and nation. This should absolutely not be tolerated.

If ICC does not ban these players if found guilty, I can assure you that I will stop watching cricket. I am an extremely busy man and despite that I take out time to watch the highlights every evening. I think there will no longer be a reason to do that.

Suggestion for IPL - 3:
Add a new team called Panga Mat Le Pakkis
Home City : Caveman Islands / Isle of Man
Team Manager and Supremo : Lalit Kumar Modi
Official Cheerleader: Ms Sunanda Tharoor
Official Spokesman : Ajay Jadeja
Coach : Azharuddin
Sponsor : Tehelka.com

Surely the simple solution is to BAN spot betting on cricket ?

That way temptation is removed and integrity restored

@Andrew: Thanks for your balanced and rational post.

@vivavizag: Your highly biased post does not even merit a response..

@Paki friends: We don't deserve to be branded as a nation of cheats based on actions of a few. But lets face it...we do have a serious problem... not just in cricket but the way the entire country is being run. In a way its good that our problems are exposed brutally and clearly (And not hidden behind the facade of media glamour like India) so that we start to correct them immediately and perhaps have a better future in cricket as well as in all other national pursuits.

Once again cricinfo decides to promote Samir Chopra's hatred of Pakistan. He forgets that any thorough investigation will only end up in one place, in India with Indian bookmakers. Now who's 'determined not to clean their Augean stables'?

It is a very sad situation.If the ACU was vigilant in executing there duties, they would have picked those spot fixing moments the moment it happened or rather at the end of the game and make immediate arrests.Besides it takes two to tanle.

Cricket is a corrupt game.

a no ball means a free hit the next ball. So a potential for 6+1(7) of the first ball and a potential of 6 of the free hit, so.... a total of 13 runs to be scored.

Now how does a potential of 13 runs not change the result of the game!

Pakistan- where is your morality and religion here now?

I think it is all very very sad, especially regards Amir. I can't help think what a young guy like that does when asked or even ordered to get involved. He would have all these team mates, many would be his mentors and idles, telling him it's alright. Where does he go, what can he do against it. I can only imagine how they would manipulate him - very similar to how child molesters work I would say. The old hands at this must be ripped from the system, but more importantly the "agents" who do this dirty work like this bottom dweller Mazhar should be severely punished - jail for a very long time, after all these guys are the dealers, the pushers, the rainbow painters. The cricketers to a certain extent are the poor susceptable user, addict with huge peer pressure bearing down on them.

Oh Pakistanis, what have you done guys?. Could have sell it for a better price?. I am really worried about the amount. This is normal for Pakistanis, it is part of their life as far as I know. Please ask for a better price next time guys before you guys sell the match. God save the Pakistan and Pakistan Cricket.

What I don't understand is why any sensible bookmaker would accept a bet on a no-ball happening at a specific point. I mean, what are the odds? Why would anyone bet on it unless they had inside knowledge it was going to happen?

well to resist so much of money is a serious test of ones characteer and values... pakistan is a country which is poverty ridden and has failed as a state... whats surprising is that newcomers wahar riaz and umar amin are involved in this who r debutants in thios series.. what does this state? is match fixing a thing from grass root level of cricket..

You'll do well... he'll get out in your fourth ball.

Guys, can I have some peace before getting out.

Message from dressing room: guys, you'll have to get him out yourselves.

Nobody told the bowler what to do with the Free hit ball.

It is a tremendous sense of disbelief seeing such unbelievably talented cricketers in the eye of such a heavy storm. I do hope that for the sake of world cricket this issue is put to rest at the earliest - hopefully with such enormous talent coming out unsullied from this mess. If however the claims and blames are established then for sure we will not want to see the tainted people on the field ever again.

The ceneral character mr majeed has been succeed in his tacts, the question is this why he has given the money for the no balls which will not effect the result of match and what we called this fixing.

the cheap players has sold them and sold the feelings of nation paksitan for small amount of money.

the indina bookies might booked majeed and he play the role of middle man to get rid of finest player amir and asif for small money.

after he hasopened his every thing in front of media.

but at the end the players should treated harshly those has played with the feeling.

@Vijayakumar: fair enough suspicion mate. However india were all out for 88 against NZ and lost by 200 runs. Again India were all out for 103 against Sri Lanka and lost by 8 wickets with 200 odd balls spare. NZ were all out for 118 against India and lost by 105 runs. Sri Lanka's lowest total in a loosing match was 170 all out against India. Based on these, you can suspect Indians and Kiwis at the first place!!!!

I backed our team members because it not yet proof that they are guilty. I am totally agreed with Mr.Vijayakumar. English media plot these kinds of stories every time when Pakistan visits there. English men still think that Pakistan, India, and Srilanka are slaves. Shameful English Media.

Well, match fixing was there before, and will continue but the way Pak team members and the management act really raise question as to whether they are an honest players of the majestic game cricket or they can act in a civilized way. The quarrel in the team, the farcical punishment by the board, the inquiry and inability to enforce the recommendation etc, etc., all point out to one comment about Pak cricket. They are a bunch of street jokers who should not be in the game. The dull head management and players need to be trained first how to be civilized, then they may be allowed to play. And in this world of money controls the game cricket, it will be very difficult to bring order to this game.

cricket world is worried that banning Pakisatn may lead to mid-directed Pakistani youth taking to violent causes - this has helped Pakistani cricketers get away wth any misdeed committed

same goes to Pakistan anywhere in the world - they are associated with scandals, misdeeds etc

@Vijayakumar: fair enough suspicion mate. However india were all out for 88 against NZ and lost by 200 runs. Again India were all out for 103 against Sri Lanka and lost by 8 wickets with 200 odd balls spare. NZ were all out for 118 against India and lost by 105 runs. Sri Lanka's lowest total in a loosing match was 170 all out against India. Based on these, you can suspect Indians and Kiwis at the first place!!!!

Unless and until the PCB Headquarters are shifted from Lahore to some other city, Pakistan will continue to face such humiliation in the world of cricket. All players are picked from one province only and most of them come from Lahore which makes it very easy for them to form a cartel and a betting syndicate. All those named in betting malpractice in the past come from this very elite & corrupt club. Only three were punished while others escaped accountability, made millions subsequently, and damaged the peoples trust on this great sport. If the team is picked on merit and without any regional bias such situation would never arise. THE RACISM AND THE HEDGMONY OF PUNJAB ON PAKISTAN CRICKET MUST END ICC SHOULD NEVER EVER ALLOW PCB HEDQUARTER TO BE IN ANY OF THE CITY OF PUNJAB.

I can see many Pak fans point here. We have/had cheaters(fixers) in pretty much all countries.

In Pak majority of the team seems to be fixers.

It's not the crime that bothers me, it's the (lack of) punishment. Azhar and Jadeja were permanently banned from ever representing India again. That was not the case with Akram, Waqar.

Harsh punishment is the only logical thing to do now.

Nick's assessment is dead on target. The Pakistan cricket authorities have always dealt with such misdemeanors, immoral and illegal acts from the perspective that they are relevant only when it hits the fan; the severity of the matter is diminished with time and with the next series it has to play. Thus, if it has to play India, all is forgiven, because to beat their arch rival is more important than being lawful and ethical.

My sympathies to the Pakistani cricket fans - you deserve better. ALL sports fans deserve better. All the talent in the world cannot make up for a lack of integrity.

VivaVizag - on what grounds are you making thos allegations against Akram, Younis, Imran Khan, etc.? Worse still, you are slandering an entire nation and people based on the acts of a few? I sure hope that others don't use the same standards to judge us Indians. Based on your words alone we will come across as bigoted and racist, not to mention petty.

So far none of the Pakistani posters I see have chosen to take that line which leaves them in far better light than you.

Players players involved in this issue and brought bad name to country. see comments by Australian Players, they are saying that this kind of corruption is in Pakistani's DNA. Shame on us.

I totally agree with Viva's comment. Pakistan is a failed state. As a Bangladeshi, I'm relieved that we got out of that failed system. It always amazes me how 2 countries that gained their indenpendece a day apart, are now oceans apart in progress and democracy. Indian Generals were never temted to usurp civilian government; yet in Pakistan, till now, army controls the country. BDeshis, almost 40 yrs later, are still paying for being part of that legacy, as their army seemed to have been schooled with same mentality.During my undergrad years, I saw many Paki students whose primary goal was to beat the honor system during exams. They would take pride in 'fooling' the teacher by blatantly cheating. Same went in grad school- there was always tendencies to ride others' coat tails. Out of all subcont'l students (and other Asians), it was the Pakis who were always cutting corners. Yet they would always have this air of 'holier than thou' attitude. I realize that this is gross generalization.

I dont think we should jump to conclusion and let the investigations be completed before we atart painting their faces black. Having said that I have always had a doubt about Kamran Akmal and I feel convinced that it is him who is the ring leader not Salman. Salman being his pal might be influenced by him into such an act, as far as Amir is concerned, I think he is not involved. Apart from all this the thing that surprised me most was the releasing of Mazhar Majeed on bail by scotland yard while the investigation is yet not completed. Secondly I cant understand how a man who accepted pursing 1.7 Mil pounds by spot fixing Sydney test could sell himself for as cheap as 140,000 pounds and loose out on his possible future earnings through this source. Isnt it mind bogling.

@Alex G - My sentiments exactly!! In fact you took the words out of my own mouth. I was going to follow-up my previous post with somithing almost similar to what you said. It's hillarious to see how the self righteous lot gets all worked up on this non-sensical issue, and to bolster their zelousness they come up with a totally implausible logic. Yes I'm talking of you Mr. Sameer Chopra! As far as I'm concerned WHY SHOULDN'T the players make some money on the side? All the greedy usless administrators and baffoons in other industries do it every day! At least these guys are talented. My only issue is it's illeagal...SO FIND A WAY TO LEGALIZE IT. I'M SURE SOME SMART MBA TYPE CAN COME UP WITH A WORKABLE SOLUTION. END OF STORY!

Putting themselves before the country. Generally Hatred for others is more than love for their country. Moral values come from culture and society. Is this news surprising? Iam sure they are already looking at this as a conspiracy by the Americans, Indians, Jews.

This revelation is very unpleasant for any true cricket fan. However I hope that the Pakistanis will accept what has happened and take strong action and I also hope that they won't convince themselves that this is the result of an Indian/Western (or even Jewish) conspiracy to disgrace their rising cricket team.

All those indians and aussies, british its one thing to give an opinion and another when you generalize the whole Pakistan nation as corrupt. Please don't forget when some of your players (not just cricket but also football) were/are involved in these heinous cases. I believe Warne/M Waugh and Dennis Lille/Marsh + Azharuddin, Jadeja and co. were involved in match fixing, but never got any life bans nor did their boards. Are we to believe that spot fixing is only being done by Pakistanis and no one else? Ask Mr. Malcolm Speed to first clean his own house and make betting illegal altogether before start banning others. Some people have put Imran, W's as ball temperers. If they were, then why the whole world is practicing and using "reverse swing" or "doosra"? Why is Akram coaching IPL, why was he giving the tips prior to 2005 ashes series to Lee and Johson co.? Mike Atherton was talking about ball tempering in this latest series, but forgot himself caught on camera twice. How much ban he

Pakistan has larger problems to deal with than spot-fixing - floods, rampant corruption, religious extremism, Taliban, weak economy - to name a few.

I have watched the entire 5 days of Sydney test(every sibgle ball) between Pak and Aus on TV and I couldn't believe my eyes how Kamran Akmal dropped those catches.Now you know what had happened.Shameless traitors of the game and national garbages,must be thrown away to closet.
-An indian fan,bangalore

the problem i have with ppl taking spot fixing liberally is that where d you draw the line? you are deliberately giving the opposing team a run and an extra ball.What if the batsman was caught or bowled of that no ball bowled?
Lets not trivialize spot fixing and say that it doesn't affect the outcome It sure has hell does and who is to say the fixing stops with spot fixing and doesn't extend to match fixing

Anyone who says they feel sorry for these guys have either lost their senses or lost their morality themselves. These guys are not kids, they are grown up men..... For heaven's sake, stop giving excuses and chuck these cheat out of the game. There are too many other good men around and for their sake help protect this game from such malicious individuals !!

While this is terrible news I'm a little saddened by this rush to crucify Amir. The kid is not yet out of his teens and people are jostling with each other to get on the moral high horse and calling for a life ban. I have less sympathy for Asif because of his past transgressions but can we not be a little bit more considering towards Amir? It was poignant to read Geoff Lawson's comments and his recollections about what conditions Amir comes from - people like Sambit Bal, much less hypocrites like Mathew Hayden would have no idea how it would feel to be put in those shoes.

Give him a 5 match ban, deduct all his fees from the Eng trip but give the kid a chance. And make it clear this will be the only chance he will get. Ever.

It is unfortunate and amusing that this post has led to pak bashing by indians and ind bashing by pak supporters. We all know the facts. Cricketers from both countries (and other countries too) have been involved in these activities. Let us not try to take a moral high ground here...Fact is, the current social situation in Pak assists in these type of events....Indian players make enough money thru IPL and endorsements...I dont think they would (now) need to resort to match fixing (at least in Intl cricket).......how long this (the IPL bubble) will last is yet to be seen though...Fact is, its not any longer a gentleman's game...

This is a true shame, all these years Imran Khan, Wasim and waqar have known to be cheaters in Ball tampering, this legacy has come down to Shahid Afridi(Ball Biting Incident) and the new pakistani team members. Although Salim Malik, Ata UR rehman and others were banned for life for fixing matches both of them were towards the end of their career anyways. India Banned Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja in their prime form, pakistanis banned MohD Yousuf and then got him back, they also brought back Shoiab Malik and pretty sure they'll bring back Younis Khan. The players are known to get away easily with 1 year bans and so they don't care anymore. PCB should set an example by banning all players and post criminal charges against all involved.

I'm sure that PCS found the Austalia Sydney match fixed and took prompt action, whats the result? Shoiab and Yousuf are back now. This is shameful.

While amir gets a life ban from cricket, I might as well stop watching cricket...

this is very bad for cricket.evry time this happens in as a cricket loving nations like india pakisthan and srilanka.if the fixing is real we all gonna miss the great bowler amir.iam an indian but i love to struck to tv when amir is bowling.

Thankyou Mazhar,
It was disgusting you see Kamran Akmal keep wickets again and again. Every effort to keep him away from the game till date was futile. Your this very act is blessing in disguise for whole Pak nation. Save the kid Aamir, who anyhow, I believe will come unscathed, one 18 year old is too young to decide about morality and integrity what if he know how to bamboozle the batsmen.

What ever it is...i think pakistan team has got the talent...they need to nurture it well and shape the players like u polish the diamonds....I saw Amir bowling in this and australia series...i wld say let this matter go and look forward to T20 and ODI series....its wrong to blame d 18yr old boy.....

After reading the blog and many of the related comments from various individuals I can only think of that incident according to bible where Jesus said when trying to save a women who was accused of adultery of something along that lines to the accusers that only that person can come and accuse her who have not done anything wrong in life. So let's calm down and let the process decide the future of accused players. If they are proved wrong then the biggest lost will be not to see bowlers like Amir and Asif bowl again. Only a cricket lover can understand this lose as a Pakistani cricket fan or an Indian cricket fan are too baised towards their own players and hatred for each other that they have forgot to enjoy the game. Comments fro Viva and retaliating comments from Pakistani fans are an example of this truth. On the it her hand if allegations are proved wrong and some tabloid publicity stunt than let's go back to the game and start enjoying cricket in all it's form regardless anything

England wanted to sell up Ashes , but they were at a loss against the moving ball - easy solution Walk over to Mr. Butt and company with some bananas problem solved ... ashes built up everyone happy (few richer) and I wasted all this time watching cricket.

i dont care any of one but i think amir deserve chance he is 18 kid give band like 5 match or 3 months !!!!! but not life time one .
i think bottom line is this Aus.Eng are scare talent of asin crackers so wait what is really happen is there is happen give life band but not amir !!!!!!!!! surely not him he is still 18 he deserved chance i home he is clear good luck amir !!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel bad for Pakistan..I always support Pakistan in cricket after India ..we are all one...

SOMEBODY PLEASE GET THIS KID OUT OF THE WHOLE....CANT STAND ANYMORE ALL THIS DRAMA HAS TAKEN PLACES....Amir & Asif are the next generation to keep pakistan team alive....its a sad day in the cricket wrold....

what if Dilshan got paid for spot fixing - "Sehwag doesnt make a ton". Is this being investigated ? Randiv may be innocent, not so sure about Dilshan or Sanga.

How do we know where and how these guys get paid ?

Foget about Pak, they have way too many problems to fix... so many that they cant even blame India anymore.

Pak is irrelevant, we must save the game now.

But it is still a good question - why would any Far Eastern Bookie accept a bet of many thousand pounds on such a such a ball being a no ball? Surely he would be immediately suspicious and refuse to take the bet? So how does this work?

The Pakistani players are so talented(especially bowling) but all is wasted due to match fixing.

Why do I hear such sympathy for Amir?
Why do I hear so many excuses for him?

He's young, he's been led astray blah blah.

Yes, he is a very talented bowler, and he seems like a likeable person.
But HE alone has wasted his opportunity.

I have NO SYMPATHY for him.

Nas

Disappointed that so many folks on the forum are using this incident to further their hate mongering agenda against Pakistan. In spite of all that is wrong with their system ... don't see any other country produce so much cricketing talent.
If the investigation does lead to what is being alleged -- life-ban comes across as soft punishment in some ways and irrational in others. The right form of punishment should be to try them -- jail them, if convicted -- and then allow them to play after they've done their time. Hopefully they'd have learnt their lesson and would never try it again ... and us cricket lovers would have some hope of seeing the talent play out another day.

As a US-based cricket & soccer fanatic who spent a large part of my youth in England, I'm not usually one to talk up the merits of US sports. But, the US went through it's gambling scandal in 1919 ... that's nearly 100 years ago. Heavy rules & penalties were instituted in all sports, not the least of which was attempting to keep gambling & gamblers, specifically, away from the sports. There have been occasional minor incidents, but nothing major. What's the biggest difference? There is NO sponsorship of US sporting teams or organizations by betting organizations. The pervasive sponsorship of European soccer teams & cricket teams by betting agencies is frightening. The outcome is not surprising. It seems bizarre & puritanical, but keeping gambling in casinos & away from close proximity with sports teams seems to be pretty effective.

I am neither Pakistani nor Indian but a fellow "disgraced" South Asian (Sri Lankan). This is sad for cricket and south asian cricket in general. Many Indians here are throwing stones ... but sitting from glass houses. Any one who beleives that Indian Cricket is clean is either really stupid or on drugs himself. Remember Jadeja, Prabakar & Azhar. I am sure there are many even now - especially after the IPL. They just haven't been caught yet. They are probably much smarter than the village boy, Amir. Having said that, I have to admit that Pakistani Cricket has become a total joke! The more they swear by Allah in every post match interview, it seems that the more corrupt and hypocritical they have become over the years. Unfortunately, "corruption" has become part of the Desi DNA over the last 50 yrs. As a cricket fan, I am truly saddened by the prospect of never seeing Amir and Asif again in international cricket. One was a huge talent and the other was a true artist at his best

The point Samir is making in this article is a very valid one. His broad and specific points accepted, I would like add that distractions of any sort, not only those associated with spot-fixing, can ruin the concentration required to excel in any sport and not just cricket. Small or big arguments with family, friends, co-players etc., have been known to affect performance. Need I mention Mikkel Johnson here?

Clearly, prior-arranging (fixing, what a word!) the game in any way can be no good to the player (despite financial benefits), to the fans (who love the game and pay dearly nowadays) and to the national pride or to international fair play. It does not matter who does it. Efforts must be made to minimize it. And most people have and are striving toward this goal.

I'm confident that cricket will survive these glitches. Those who love cricket and there are a large number who do, will not let rest
despite bad influences from others who are in it just for the money.

Match fixing is everywhere and has been for a along time. Pakistan are the scapegoats to divert attention from other nations like Australia and India. IPL is a massive mafia run fix plain and simple.

SORRY MATES, EXCEPT FOR FEW, EVEN MANY OF THE NEW GENERATION CRICKETIERS LIKE ROHIT SHARMA, IRFAN PATHAN, GAMBHIR, YUVRAJ ARE SCONDRELS AND THIRD CLASS IN CHARACTER, IN PLAY AND IN SPORTS MAN SHIP

This is a real incident which I will share with y'all, I dont have the dates but I remember the scenario. A very good friend of mine flew to Mumbai and was part of a cricket team playing a tournament. He was sitting with the some of the BCCI big shots and were watching the game . Rahul Dravid who is supposed to be the most respectable player of India was on stance, one of the guy gets a call and my friend over heard him saying dont worry he will get out in this over and suprisingly he did. My friend was speechless for a while and now he dosent watch any of the international games. I am not sure whether this is a freaky coincidence or was it fixed ?

And this is why there was no way John Howard was ever going to become ICC President. It would have been very bad for business

I am sure this is just the start. Incase proper and full investigation is carried out there will be more players from each country,especially IPL super stars, who will be exposed. So it is better for every cricket board to sweep this under the carpet and forget about it. Afterall Modi was removed from IPL because of suspicion of match fixing, but no word has come out since about the extent and player involved.

Amir has lot of Talent.I always enjoyed bowlers dominated games.As a Indian my all my time fav is Sachin and then i like Wasim Akram.Pakistan fast bowlers are always a joy to watch..Wasim's swing...Waqar's banana swing(reverse) ...wow.. too good.
We cannot blame young Amir for all this mess..he should be given a pat on back and should be carefully guided..otherwise world cricket will loose gem of a bowler.
@VivaVizag im also from Vizag,India,but its too harsh to blame entire country based on some incidents.If that is the case we are also not perfect..one must be compassionate and criticism must be always positive.

Cheers
Satya

I agree with Rajesh NJ (at August 30, 2010 6:33 PM )

"There are too many other good men around and for their sake help protect this game from such malicious individuals !!"

If these individuals are let off then it will be great unjust to the honest Pakistani players who are sweating out for years just to get a chance to showcase their talent. Players like S. Malik, K. Akmal, U. Akmal, M. Yousuf, M. Asif, S. Butt and M. Amir with doubtfull integrity towards cricket are blocking the path of some other honest players.

Amir has lot of Talent.I always enjoyed bowlers dominated games.As a Indian my all my time fav is Sachin and then i like Wasim Akram.Pakistan fast bowlers are always a joy to watch..Wasim's swing...Waqar's banana swing(reverse) ...wow.. too good.
We cannot blame young Amir for all this mess..he should be given a pat on back and should be carefully guided..otherwise world cricket will loose gem of a bowler.
@VivaVizag im also from Vizag,India,but its too harsh to blame entire country based on some incidents.If that is the case we are also not perfect..one must be compassionate and criticism must be always positive.

Cheers
Satya

Leave aside Pak players. 1st ICC must come clean how it cleared Sydney Test & Amir talking over cell phone in Colombo? ICC can not run with the Hare and hunt with the Hounds.

I think this fixing scandell is going on for a long time. I think every match is somewhat fixed coz lot of money involved. Bowling a no ball when somebody on 99 is also fixed but not investigated.

come on people give them a break.talking of cheats who isnt? all damn people in thus world are cheats.indians with their biggest corrupt politicians and cricketers e.g KAPIL DEV, AZHARUDDIN, TENDULKAR, JADEJA etc, british with their gay and false claiming expenses dodgers,BAA(british aviation)bribed SAUDI ARABIAN govt. to take the defence contract. BUSH and BLAIR mass murderers of all time human history,against all human rights issues (GUANTONOMO BAY)where humans are prisoned without any charges. illegal detention centres in UK,POLAND, MOROCCO,BRAZIL by U.S army and the doggy dossier by MI5, MI6 and CIA and they even killed DR. KELLY(an english man)TO HIDE THE TRUTH,italians, spanish even EU and so on.i can go on for pages and pages but it wont finish.after all we all are CHEATS its just that we don't have the GUTS to admit.

It is very easy for supporters to 'always' look for sinister excuses when the team does badly..it is afterall more comforting to know that the players underperformed willingly, rther than being found out to be not good enough. If everytime Pak loses, and people start doubting the results, I say stop playing them for some years, till they have cleaned up. Right now, it is too much to hear about fixing etc., its just not worth it. Opponents, even when they have performed very well, have to live with jibes..

While betting may be rampant amongst the Pakistan team, I believe it is probably prevalent amongst other teams too - to varying degrees though. There has been an upsurge of scores of 99 (and in the nineties)and 49 (and forties) by batsmen, many of them unbelievably stupid runouts , lbws which never should have been given out and simple catches. Too many totals like 199, 299, 399 etc. Far too many centuries or fifties denied by no balls, and more and more ingenious ways. Bowlers not appealing when they get the batsmen lbw, mysterious slumps, erratic unbelievable form (highs and lows) by teams and players. I believe it runs deep.. into administrations, umpires and team managements. It has become so disgusting that it is not worth following the game any more.

Amit: I appreciate your response but you don’t understand Pakistan cricket. To understand Pakistan cricket you need to understand Punjab of Pakistan which has 65% of Pakistan’s population with 80% rural & literacy rate about 30% they face only one competition i.e. Karachi with 80% literacy rate & population less than 10%. Punjab resort to racism to keep Karachi away from the leadership of all institution not only cricket that’s why you see Punjab XI was selected on English tour. Like Ranjhi Trophy we have Quaid-E-Azam Trophy Karachi has won 19 times & Lahore has won only 4 times but the raciest Punjab with their hegemony & black sheep behavior kept Karachi away from selection. If you are from other then Punjab & managed to get into the team then these Punjabi player backed by PCB play all their filthy tactics to get you out which create perfect environment for the Punjabi comrades to practice match-fixing. Bottom line is for healthy cricket Karachi must have check on Punjab.

Corruption is part and parcel of Pakistan and India both. I think for now, they should ban all the involved players and come up with a unit of administrators and players who earn and play for the country. Making Waqar Younis as coach does not help things at all. There need to be an overhaul of system and people in current scenario in Pakistan Cricket and this should begin from the top. After Pakistan, Indian Cricket should be taken care of too. We need people who are genuinely interested in the welfare of game and players and not just for the sake of a business. For this I condone election of a politician Sharad Pawar at the helm of affair. Throughout world any politician should be barred from ICC posts. Ultimately, this ill is not just limited to Pakistan, but to whole south asia. Yes, of course in Pakistan it seems more rampant because of their current situation. I just wish Cricket get clean from all this mess, else their will be no joy watching these fixed games.

Ex-pak cricketers keep talking about harsher punishments. I wonder what that means in spineless PCB terms. Or is it extremists in Pakistan, that would take legs of the bowlers for stepping past the line?

They have been going ga ga about how wonderfully unpredictable Pakistan is, Yeah right!!!. Not so... if you have money to bribe.

I love this controversy. At least something interesting in the world of cricket. IPL, Ind vs SL, ICC tournaments every six months (oh is it a year) has made the game boring. Thank god for Pakistan.

I love this controversy. At least something interesting in the world of cricket. IPL, Ind vs SL, ICC tournaments every six months (oh is it a year) has made the game boring. Thank god for Pakistan.

I was just thinking... if players can be 'bought' to help lose matches, bowl no balls, etc why can't the bowlers be bought to get wickets, batsmen to make centuries and the players to 'win'. With all the money being spent and made in cricket, lets face it ICC's goal of "globalization of cricket" has become "commercialization of world cricket". Could this be one of the reasons why cricket will never be played by the rest of the world (other than the Commonwealth countries,) or be played in the Olympics as a competitive sport.

@VivaVizag

Jadega, Azharuddin and Modi are angels, arn't they?

The 3rd test victory was dedicated to the flood victims of Pakistan. I wonder who this is dedicated to.

We all know that players of almost all nations were involved in ball tampering and match fixing or something like that.

With the likes of Warne, Mark Waugh, Azharuddin, Jadeeja, Cronje, Gibbs and others.
Ian Botham was also involved in ball tampering.

we can't say that players of only one nation involves in all these matters.

So dont say that thay are bad and all others are clean.

acc. to many websites after assosiation football ,cricket is the 2nd most popular sport.I want it to be most loved sport around globe in 50 years but o boy,this is not the way to go.wake up ICC ! Maybe moral lectures and psychologists is a better idea than filthy bookies!!! ALL I WANNA SAY IS THAT THEY DONT REALLY CARE ABOUT US!

I completely agree with Rajesh NJ... though i have to mention that some nations dont have any players left who can play good cricket.
The only one or two new players they produce, somehow turn into match or 'spot' fixers.
Its a pity that cricket is getting all the blame for such actions.

@ VivaVizag, stop marginalising and generaling about 1 country and its people u tool and start appreciating some real bowling. Also ICC should look to make the contest between bat and ball more enjoyable, i.e. more bowler friendly pitches inorder to stop such nonsense and batting records which to me mean less as I like bowlers more. And as for Imran, Wasim, Waqar, Inzi and Aqib they can walk into any 11 anyday on just sheer talent let alone their records.

Tariq Zaman obviously belongs to the "tell a lie often enough and people will believe it to be true" brigade. His comments were nothing to do with the current issue, so why were they published?
As far as the current issue is concerned I find the whole idea of spot-fixing to be absolutely incredible. It seems that the fact that it has little impact on the outcome (3 no-balls within a massive England victory) is what makes it makes it so open to abuse and creates a cancer in the game. Perhaps no-balls should be punished more severely and the practice of some limited-over competitions of the free hit be introduced to the first-class game, just as you get free kicks/hits in soccer/hockey for infringement of the laws. This isn't going to change the result of an innings and 200+, but it might make it more expensive and less attractive to do.

When ali-a writes of Lillee/Marsh, is he really referring to the pound (a whole pound!!!) bet on an England victory at Headingley in 1981 at 500-1? Does he not remember the resolute way in which Lillee batted with Ray Bright to get Australia close after the previous (superior?) batsmen had made an England victory first possible, then likely. The bet was far from his mind then and I don't remember an embarassed Lillee or Marsh ever hiding the fact.
I say to ram that what the Sehwag non-century shows is only how daft was the change of the law. Umar Gul hit a boundary to win the Headingley test for Pakistan and was credited only with the single necessary. Presumably if the batsmen had not run he would have been awarded the 4! As far as my records go, Umar got 4 n.o. and Johnson took 1-44.

som: Punjab has ten players in the Playing Eleven without merit and you are saying " Dear Toescrusher, Please leave the topic of Punjab 11...."??

Selection of ten players from one province without merit is racism period!

By the way just FYI cricket setup in Pakistan starting from Senator, PCB Chief, Secretaries, other officials; if vast majority of them are not from Punjab then Punjab can barely manage four players on merit in the playing eleven.