Spot-fixing/Match-fixing scandal
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SnIPeR Xr
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Match-fix mastermind pockets his money after pay-off
Mr Big stuffed the £10k in his jacket then went to meet players
By Mazher Mahmood & Amanda Evans, 29/08/2010
FIXER Mazhar Majeed twice tried to rig the recent Third Test between England and Pakistan at the Oval to prove to our undercover reporters that he could do it.
He demanded a £10,000 down payment before guaranteeing two no-balls on the second day of the match during a secret meeting outside a restaurant where he was dining with the team.
See fixer Mazhar Majeed take a £10,000 down payment before guaranteeing two no-balls
Then he stuffed the money into his jacket pocket before later opening up the coat in front of players to show them what he'd got.
But Majeed's plan was scuppered when the no-balls fix - already arranged for another gambling client and planned for the third day on August 20 - had to be scrapped because the Pakistani bowling coach had warned his stars to tighten up their bowling.
DOING THE DEAL: Majeed tells our man how he will prove he can fix matches
Undaunted, the brazen crook then offered our man the guarantee that Pakistan skipper Salman Butt would score no runs from the first six balls he faced on the fourth day - a maiden over. Majeed even phoned a number known to be linked to Butt to confirm it.
The player's secret signal to let gambling clients know that the cheating was on was to be Butt tapping midwicket with his bat during the over, as if flattening a bump.
However, again the fix was foiled. It was then that the focus shifted to fixing the current Test at Lord's.
Our fake betting syndicate frontman had already met Majeed on August 16 and 18. But the first handover of cash in the match-rigging scandal came on the evening of Thursday the 19th.
Majeed had invited our man to join him and the players for dinner at the Al Shishawi restaurant in London's Edgware Road.
He introduced him to Pakistan captain Salman Butt and to players Wahab Riaz and Umar Amin.
HANDOVER: Majeed takes the £10,000 down payment from our reporter in the Mercedes outside restaurant
The property tycoon - whose company Bluesky Developments has sponsored several high profile sporting events and charities - then borrowed Wahab's cream jacket to pop out to our man's Merc for a secret chat.
Majeed said: "Just to show you it's really OK, I'm going to show you two no-balls tomorrow.
"Then you just pay as I said minimum for that, OK. Just £10,000. I'm telling you big money can be made."
He even offered to call the players in front of our man to prove he could control them: "You sit with me, OK, and I'll ring each player who I've got and even talk to them about it. Isn't that enough proof for you?"
PLAYERS' BOSS: Majeed with some of the Pakistan stars
Our man handed Majeed ten £1,000 bundles of notes in crisp £50 notes and he quickly shoved them in his jacket pocket. Then he said: "I'm just going to give you two no-balls quite simple. And I'll tell you which bowler's going to do it, and which ball he's going to do it in. This is just a taster. I'll let you know that tonight or tomorrow morning."
Showing his experience at match-fixing, he bragged: "Boss, I'm telling you, OK. I've been doing this constantly and for the next month you're going to see how constant it is.
"So I'm going to say to them (the seven players he controls in the team) I've got a new party. I think he's good, yeah, we'll deal with him. OK?" He pulled the £10,000 bundle out of his pocket and waved it about. "This is to show how serious they are, OK. That will be the deposit. After that... then payment has to be made within 24 hours either in England or Dubai. In cash."
Then Majeed announced that our man would have to pay a huge deposit if he wanted to know the planned RESULTS of fixed matches so he could coin it in by placing bets.
He added: "In terms of deposit, it's gonna be a minimum of £150,000. That's just for your trust.
"That's for me to pay my boys, yeah, right, a certain amount each, OK? Then they give me the authority to work with you. Once the authority is there to work with you, I'll give you everything we do. After that. I don't want any money up front, I just want the money paid after the thing's done."
But he said there would be no fixing the actual results of the Oval and Lord's Tests - "because we're trying to win this game and the Lord's game. Because we want Salman Butt as captain."
Our man asked him: "Is he onside as well? Is he in the fixing?" Majeed claimed: "Of course, of course."
He went on to boast of his past successes - saying, "Every single result we've done has come off, every single one" - before revealing he and his bent players had arranged for Pakistan to lose some of the forthcoming One Day International matches against England.
"We've got one result already planned and that is coming in the next three-and-a-half weeks," he said. "Pakistan will lose." Majeed also spelled out that he was already running match-rigging with other gambling syndicates, including "one party in India".
With the dirty deal done, Majeed took our man into the restaurant and ordered captain Salman Butt and other teammates to join us. The players who were eating lamb and chicken kebabs, were relaxed in Majeed's company, joking with our reporters and sharing anecdotes about fellow cricketers.
After Majeed showed our team out of the restaurant he walked back to a group of his players standing outside and opened the jacket into which he'd stuffed the money to show them what was inside. Later bowler Wahab Riaz put on the jacket and posed in it.
But on the Friday morning, Majeed rang our man saying that his bowlers would not be able to bowl the two no-balls. He then invited our reporter to his luxurious home in Croydon on Saturday at 8am to discuss another possible fix before play at the Oval began.
The imposing house in Croydon is hidden behind electronic gates. A Range Rover, flash black Jaguar and Golf were parked in the drive.
Inside, Majeed claimed captain Butt would bat a maiden over just to prove that fixing was taking place. On one of his white BlackBerrys he uses as a "safe line" to call players - which he says he disposes of every fortnight - he rang a number known to belong to Butt.
He said: "Boss, just stick to what we said last night OK? The first full over you play, you just make sure you play a maiden, OK? After the second ball, just go and tap the middle of the pitch as a signal."
Majeed said if Butt gave the signal then people around the world would know that it was time to put massive bets on as the fixing was about to take place.
He then boasted about the players he claimed were working for him in the betting scam - claiming to have seven on his books, including Butt, Asif, Amir and Kamran Akmal, the wicket-keeper already accused of match-fixing by the coach of the Pakistan team, Intikhab Alam.
Majeed also revealed how he launders match-fixing money through the football club he owns, Croydon Athletic in south London. "The only reason I bought a football club is to do that," he said.
And he spilled the beans on how he helps his players hide their money.
"I've opened them all Swiss bank accounts as well, all numbered accounts," he said. "I've got them even English bank accounts too."
To prove it he showed off bank details stored on his BlackBerry including a Clydesdale Bank account number he claimed was Butt's.
And to hammer home the amounts of money our man could win, Majeed called an Indian bookie he regularly deals with and asked him how much he would pay for a definite Oval Test result.
Majeed demanded $1.2million but the bookie replied, "I'll give you one (million)."
Majeed - who has a wife Sheliza and two daughters aged 4 and 6 - flicked through recordings on a TV to show off previous matches he claimed to have fixed.
Later, explaining why Butt did not bat the promised maiden over, Majeed told our man the pitch was too lively for the skipper to guarantee not accidentally edging the ball for a run.
"There was no signal," he said. "He obviously felt the ball was doing too much off the pitch and he couldn't do a maiden. I've not given you any wrong information."
Mr Big stuffed the £10k in his jacket then went to meet players | News Of The World
Mr Big stuffed the £10k in his jacket then went to meet players
By Mazher Mahmood & Amanda Evans, 29/08/2010
FIXER Mazhar Majeed twice tried to rig the recent Third Test between England and Pakistan at the Oval to prove to our undercover reporters that he could do it.
He demanded a £10,000 down payment before guaranteeing two no-balls on the second day of the match during a secret meeting outside a restaurant where he was dining with the team.
See fixer Mazhar Majeed take a £10,000 down payment before guaranteeing two no-balls
Then he stuffed the money into his jacket pocket before later opening up the coat in front of players to show them what he'd got.
But Majeed's plan was scuppered when the no-balls fix - already arranged for another gambling client and planned for the third day on August 20 - had to be scrapped because the Pakistani bowling coach had warned his stars to tighten up their bowling.
DOING THE DEAL: Majeed tells our man how he will prove he can fix matches
Undaunted, the brazen crook then offered our man the guarantee that Pakistan skipper Salman Butt would score no runs from the first six balls he faced on the fourth day - a maiden over. Majeed even phoned a number known to be linked to Butt to confirm it.
The player's secret signal to let gambling clients know that the cheating was on was to be Butt tapping midwicket with his bat during the over, as if flattening a bump.
However, again the fix was foiled. It was then that the focus shifted to fixing the current Test at Lord's.
Our fake betting syndicate frontman had already met Majeed on August 16 and 18. But the first handover of cash in the match-rigging scandal came on the evening of Thursday the 19th.
Majeed had invited our man to join him and the players for dinner at the Al Shishawi restaurant in London's Edgware Road.
He introduced him to Pakistan captain Salman Butt and to players Wahab Riaz and Umar Amin.
HANDOVER: Majeed takes the £10,000 down payment from our reporter in the Mercedes outside restaurant
The property tycoon - whose company Bluesky Developments has sponsored several high profile sporting events and charities - then borrowed Wahab's cream jacket to pop out to our man's Merc for a secret chat.
Majeed said: "Just to show you it's really OK, I'm going to show you two no-balls tomorrow.
"Then you just pay as I said minimum for that, OK. Just £10,000. I'm telling you big money can be made."
He even offered to call the players in front of our man to prove he could control them: "You sit with me, OK, and I'll ring each player who I've got and even talk to them about it. Isn't that enough proof for you?"
PLAYERS' BOSS: Majeed with some of the Pakistan stars
Our man handed Majeed ten £1,000 bundles of notes in crisp £50 notes and he quickly shoved them in his jacket pocket. Then he said: "I'm just going to give you two no-balls quite simple. And I'll tell you which bowler's going to do it, and which ball he's going to do it in. This is just a taster. I'll let you know that tonight or tomorrow morning."
Showing his experience at match-fixing, he bragged: "Boss, I'm telling you, OK. I've been doing this constantly and for the next month you're going to see how constant it is.
"So I'm going to say to them (the seven players he controls in the team) I've got a new party. I think he's good, yeah, we'll deal with him. OK?" He pulled the £10,000 bundle out of his pocket and waved it about. "This is to show how serious they are, OK. That will be the deposit. After that... then payment has to be made within 24 hours either in England or Dubai. In cash."
Then Majeed announced that our man would have to pay a huge deposit if he wanted to know the planned RESULTS of fixed matches so he could coin it in by placing bets.
He added: "In terms of deposit, it's gonna be a minimum of £150,000. That's just for your trust.
"That's for me to pay my boys, yeah, right, a certain amount each, OK? Then they give me the authority to work with you. Once the authority is there to work with you, I'll give you everything we do. After that. I don't want any money up front, I just want the money paid after the thing's done."
But he said there would be no fixing the actual results of the Oval and Lord's Tests - "because we're trying to win this game and the Lord's game. Because we want Salman Butt as captain."
Our man asked him: "Is he onside as well? Is he in the fixing?" Majeed claimed: "Of course, of course."
He went on to boast of his past successes - saying, "Every single result we've done has come off, every single one" - before revealing he and his bent players had arranged for Pakistan to lose some of the forthcoming One Day International matches against England.
"We've got one result already planned and that is coming in the next three-and-a-half weeks," he said. "Pakistan will lose." Majeed also spelled out that he was already running match-rigging with other gambling syndicates, including "one party in India".
With the dirty deal done, Majeed took our man into the restaurant and ordered captain Salman Butt and other teammates to join us. The players who were eating lamb and chicken kebabs, were relaxed in Majeed's company, joking with our reporters and sharing anecdotes about fellow cricketers.
After Majeed showed our team out of the restaurant he walked back to a group of his players standing outside and opened the jacket into which he'd stuffed the money to show them what was inside. Later bowler Wahab Riaz put on the jacket and posed in it.
But on the Friday morning, Majeed rang our man saying that his bowlers would not be able to bowl the two no-balls. He then invited our reporter to his luxurious home in Croydon on Saturday at 8am to discuss another possible fix before play at the Oval began.
The imposing house in Croydon is hidden behind electronic gates. A Range Rover, flash black Jaguar and Golf were parked in the drive.
Inside, Majeed claimed captain Butt would bat a maiden over just to prove that fixing was taking place. On one of his white BlackBerrys he uses as a "safe line" to call players - which he says he disposes of every fortnight - he rang a number known to belong to Butt.
He said: "Boss, just stick to what we said last night OK? The first full over you play, you just make sure you play a maiden, OK? After the second ball, just go and tap the middle of the pitch as a signal."
Majeed said if Butt gave the signal then people around the world would know that it was time to put massive bets on as the fixing was about to take place.
He then boasted about the players he claimed were working for him in the betting scam - claiming to have seven on his books, including Butt, Asif, Amir and Kamran Akmal, the wicket-keeper already accused of match-fixing by the coach of the Pakistan team, Intikhab Alam.
Majeed also revealed how he launders match-fixing money through the football club he owns, Croydon Athletic in south London. "The only reason I bought a football club is to do that," he said.
And he spilled the beans on how he helps his players hide their money.
"I've opened them all Swiss bank accounts as well, all numbered accounts," he said. "I've got them even English bank accounts too."
To prove it he showed off bank details stored on his BlackBerry including a Clydesdale Bank account number he claimed was Butt's.
And to hammer home the amounts of money our man could win, Majeed called an Indian bookie he regularly deals with and asked him how much he would pay for a definite Oval Test result.
Majeed demanded $1.2million but the bookie replied, "I'll give you one (million)."
Majeed - who has a wife Sheliza and two daughters aged 4 and 6 - flicked through recordings on a TV to show off previous matches he claimed to have fixed.
Later, explaining why Butt did not bat the promised maiden over, Majeed told our man the pitch was too lively for the skipper to guarantee not accidentally edging the ball for a run.
"There was no signal," he said. "He obviously felt the ball was doing too much off the pitch and he couldn't do a maiden. I've not given you any wrong information."
Mr Big stuffed the £10k in his jacket then went to meet players | News Of The World
Awesome
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No player should walk away clean in this.
However I think further investigation would reveal that some did it under peer pressure and I'm sure some would even say they did it out of shugal, and were just being reckless.
It will be a blessing if the UK puts them on the ECL and they rot there for a few years.
PCB should not walk away free either. Problem is it is now up to Zardari to use his powers to overthrow Ijaz Butt who was there on tour with the team on all the matches.
The only way these players can risk doing this much cheating is if someone is behind them guaranteeing their spot in the team.
However I think further investigation would reveal that some did it under peer pressure and I'm sure some would even say they did it out of shugal, and were just being reckless.
It will be a blessing if the UK puts them on the ECL and they rot there for a few years.
PCB should not walk away free either. Problem is it is now up to Zardari to use his powers to overthrow Ijaz Butt who was there on tour with the team on all the matches.
The only way these players can risk doing this much cheating is if someone is behind them guaranteeing their spot in the team.
sparklingway
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ICC is handling it since it has all the power to do so. Chapter C of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Officials makes it clear that spot-fixing will result in life-bans and nothing else. The Anti-Corruption Unit has already reached London.
What PCB can do is initiate criminal proceedings against these bastards and besides life-bans, let a court hand them a criminal sentence as well.
Ijaz Butt is now history. Not only he but Yawar Saeed and Ilyas should be kicked out immediately. Younis Khan and KCCA will have one hell of a time now.
SnIPeR Xr
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City of illegal betting
By Matt Drake, 29/08/2010
HUNDREDS of millions of pounds are bet on cricket every week - with illegal wagers in one Pakistani city alone topping £1.5 MILLION A DAY.
The game's exposure to massive Asian TV markets has made it a prime target for corruption.
In Lahore this week a crackdown on 1,150 illegal gambling dens revealed the lure of live cricket betting. Underground wagers in the Punjab provincial capital Lahore have spiralled out of control.
Criminal overlords enjoy vast profits from backroom gaming parlours dealing in games like Kamsae, popularly known as craps, and international horse races.
But this shadowy tribe really exists for the enormous gold rush sparked by transactions rapidly multiplying during international cricket matches.
The largest punts - laced by powerful figures in Asian society - are taken by a network of bookies masquerading as guest houses, hotels, newsagents or mobile phone shops where they are connected to worldwide markets online.
One den owner told how he rakes in bets ranging from millions to lowly stakes placed by rickshaw drivers. "Influential people place bets in millions of rupees, while the poor can quench their thirst by 50 rupees 50," he said.
Bookies watch billions of rupees roll in during lucrative One Day Internationals.
Vast sums waged on predicting the number of runs, wides, no-balls or wickets that fall in a set span of time reflect the thirst for gambling among cricket-mad countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. And with each short 20/20 thrash fetching upwards of £10 million a game in legal wagers, experts fear the rise of fixing is impossible to halt.
By Matt Drake, 29/08/2010
HUNDREDS of millions of pounds are bet on cricket every week - with illegal wagers in one Pakistani city alone topping £1.5 MILLION A DAY.
The game's exposure to massive Asian TV markets has made it a prime target for corruption.
In Lahore this week a crackdown on 1,150 illegal gambling dens revealed the lure of live cricket betting. Underground wagers in the Punjab provincial capital Lahore have spiralled out of control.
Criminal overlords enjoy vast profits from backroom gaming parlours dealing in games like Kamsae, popularly known as craps, and international horse races.
But this shadowy tribe really exists for the enormous gold rush sparked by transactions rapidly multiplying during international cricket matches.
The largest punts - laced by powerful figures in Asian society - are taken by a network of bookies masquerading as guest houses, hotels, newsagents or mobile phone shops where they are connected to worldwide markets online.
One den owner told how he rakes in bets ranging from millions to lowly stakes placed by rickshaw drivers. "Influential people place bets in millions of rupees, while the poor can quench their thirst by 50 rupees 50," he said.
Bookies watch billions of rupees roll in during lucrative One Day Internationals.
Vast sums waged on predicting the number of runs, wides, no-balls or wickets that fall in a set span of time reflect the thirst for gambling among cricket-mad countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. And with each short 20/20 thrash fetching upwards of £10 million a game in legal wagers, experts fear the rise of fixing is impossible to halt.
sparklingway
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Anybody who follows PakPassion knows that Majeed has arranged many interviews besides being interviewed himself once.
August 29, 2010
Mazhar Majeed, the man at the centre of the spot-fixing controversy that has engulfed the ongoing Lord's Test between England and Pakistan, is known to many members of the Pakistan team as a UK-based agent. Along with his brother Azhar, Mazhar claimed to represent the interests of a number of Pakistan's top cricketers in the UK.
Mazhar was arrested by Scotland Yard on Sunday night on suspicion of a conspiracy to defraud bookmakers. He was caught on camera by The News of the World claiming to have bribed Pakistan's bowlers to bowl no-balls at previously agreed moments during the Test. He claimed to the paper to have up to seven players from the side working for him, though so far only four have been named.
Cricinfo understands that the brothers have known many members in the team since at least 2006, the last time Pakistan toured England. It is unclear whether any official agreement was signed between the players and the brothers, but over a number of years Azhar and Mazhar have handled various sponsorship and marketing contracts for the players in the UK.
How familiar the brothers are with the players is also evident from the UK-based Pakpassion.net, a popular fan website that regularly carries out interviews with Pakistan's top cricketers. In a number of interviews with players such as Salman Butt and Saeed Ajmal, Azhar and Mazhar were thanked for setting up the interaction.
For a while, between 2008 and 2009, the website had a regular section called "The Agents Views", in which Azhar would update readers on the activities of a number of players. The introduction to this section calls Azhar the UK-based agent for a number of players including Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdur Rauf as well as others.
The same website also revealed that Mazhar was in Australia during Pakistan's tour at the start of this year. Pakistan lost every single international through the series; an inquiry in the aftermath of the fractious tour revealed that coaches Aaqib Javed and Intikhab Alam suspected Kamran Akmal of deliberately underperforming. Allegations centred, in particular, around the second Test in Sydney, which Pakistan lost from a dominant position by 36 runs.
However, Pakpassion.net insisted Mazhar's role was purely to set up interviews. "Let us clarify that Mr. Majeed was a representative for the said players who allowed us access to interview these players," they told Cricinfo. "There is no other connection with him or his organization as far as PP is concerned - our only mission was to bring the voice of the players to the fans and also take feedback to the players."
The inquiry committee looked into other matches as well, including the Twenty20 international in Melbourne, which Pakistan lost by two runs. Board officials stopped short of using the term match-fixing, but privately conceded that players might have underperformed to undermine others as part of rampant factionalism and politicking within the side.
While in Australia, the players apparently sent a video message to their Under-19 counterparts, at that time across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand preparing for the World Cup final against Australia. And a post underneath the thread thanks Mazhar, "who is currently in Australia with the players for sending clips to PP [Pakpassion]".
Mazhar Majeed known to Pakistan players
Osman SamiuddinAugust 29, 2010
Mazhar Majeed, the man at the centre of the spot-fixing controversy that has engulfed the ongoing Lord's Test between England and Pakistan, is known to many members of the Pakistan team as a UK-based agent. Along with his brother Azhar, Mazhar claimed to represent the interests of a number of Pakistan's top cricketers in the UK.
Mazhar was arrested by Scotland Yard on Sunday night on suspicion of a conspiracy to defraud bookmakers. He was caught on camera by The News of the World claiming to have bribed Pakistan's bowlers to bowl no-balls at previously agreed moments during the Test. He claimed to the paper to have up to seven players from the side working for him, though so far only four have been named.
Cricinfo understands that the brothers have known many members in the team since at least 2006, the last time Pakistan toured England. It is unclear whether any official agreement was signed between the players and the brothers, but over a number of years Azhar and Mazhar have handled various sponsorship and marketing contracts for the players in the UK.
How familiar the brothers are with the players is also evident from the UK-based Pakpassion.net, a popular fan website that regularly carries out interviews with Pakistan's top cricketers. In a number of interviews with players such as Salman Butt and Saeed Ajmal, Azhar and Mazhar were thanked for setting up the interaction.
For a while, between 2008 and 2009, the website had a regular section called "The Agents Views", in which Azhar would update readers on the activities of a number of players. The introduction to this section calls Azhar the UK-based agent for a number of players including Younis Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdur Rauf as well as others.
The same website also revealed that Mazhar was in Australia during Pakistan's tour at the start of this year. Pakistan lost every single international through the series; an inquiry in the aftermath of the fractious tour revealed that coaches Aaqib Javed and Intikhab Alam suspected Kamran Akmal of deliberately underperforming. Allegations centred, in particular, around the second Test in Sydney, which Pakistan lost from a dominant position by 36 runs.
However, Pakpassion.net insisted Mazhar's role was purely to set up interviews. "Let us clarify that Mr. Majeed was a representative for the said players who allowed us access to interview these players," they told Cricinfo. "There is no other connection with him or his organization as far as PP is concerned - our only mission was to bring the voice of the players to the fans and also take feedback to the players."
The inquiry committee looked into other matches as well, including the Twenty20 international in Melbourne, which Pakistan lost by two runs. Board officials stopped short of using the term match-fixing, but privately conceded that players might have underperformed to undermine others as part of rampant factionalism and politicking within the side.
While in Australia, the players apparently sent a video message to their Under-19 counterparts, at that time across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand preparing for the World Cup final against Australia. And a post underneath the thread thanks Mazhar, "who is currently in Australia with the players for sending clips to PP [Pakpassion]".
t_for_talli
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i m smelling similar thing Ind SL, NZ tri series
SnIPeR Xr
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The cheats deliver
The three balls that will shake world of cricket
By Mazher Mahmood & Amanda Evans, 29/08/2010
THEY are the three no-balls that will be recorded in the statistics books forever - and will be remembered for shaking cricket to its core.
Millions of fans who watched Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif send down the trio of deliveries over two days' play at Lord's, had no idea they were bowled as part of a match-rigging scam.
Incredibly, during live coverage, respected TV and radio pundits exclaimed to worldwide audiences how bad every one of the faked no-balls looked - little knowing they were ordered by money-grabbing fixer Mazhar Majeed, who just a day earlier had collected £150,000 from undercover News of the World reporters.
Listen to the taped calls between our reporter and the match-fixer who rigged the Lord's test between England and Pakistan
And it all played out like clockwork exactly as Majeed promised it would. He claimed the players had demanded we pay the cash as our entry ticket into an existing shady gambling syndicate based in India.
In return he revealed solid details of the three no-balls he'd planned for the Lord's Test. . .
MAJEED: "There's no risk, there's no signal. . . these three are definitely happening. They've all been organised, okay? So, the first ball of the third over of the innings, yeah.
"Asif and Amir are going to be bowling. Amir is to bowl the first over (meaning he will also bowl the third), yeah?
"Okay? Then the tenth, the last ball. . . sixth ball of the tenth over."
REPORTER: "The tenth over. Who's bowling it?"
MAJEED: "Asif will be bowling it."
Majeed then explained that the third no-ball would come in the first over that teen wonder boy Amir got to deliver to an England right-hander, after one of the opening two left-handers had been dismissed.
Just to convince us Amir was onside Majeed telephoned the young star at his hotel. "Are you sleeping f***er?" he asked crudely. Amir confirmed that's what he was trying to do.
"Ok, sleep," said Majeed. "We've spoken about everything before anyway. Ok, don't mind. You sleep'."
But when Amir prepared for his day's work at the 4th Test on Thursday morning, he was certainly awake to what was expected of him.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt strolled out to meet England skipper Andrew Strauss in the middle of the ground shortly before the weather-delayed toss at 1.10pm on the opening day of the test.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to put England in to bat.
Butt had his customary huddle with his team but bizarrely did not even bother to inspect the recently uncovered wicket like his opposite number Strauss. As predicted Butt put Amir and Asif on to open the bowling.
And, as promised, on the FIRST BALL of the THIRD OVER to England opening batsman Alastair Cook Amir overstepped the white line marking his bowling crease by a huge margin.
Umpire Billy Bowden immediately raised his arm to signal the no-ball at 1.56pm.
Pakistan's 18-year-old rising star had sealed cricket's shame on the pitch once illuminated by legends including WG Grace, Ian Botham and Don Bradman.
But the sly player brazenly tried to hide the truth, raking the spikes of his boots across the line and asking for sawdust to be put down as he falsely blamed the no-ball on loose footing.
Bemused Sky commentator Ian Botham exclaimed: "No-ball. Because of the one-dayers, you don't see that too often with the bowlers who play two forms of the game. They've got into the discipline of keeping behind that front line."
The BBC online commentary read: "Dirty great no-ball from Amir, that was fully two feet over."
Seven overs later, yet more disgrace was heaped on the game, as 27-year-old Asif also overstepped the crease on the LAST BALL of the TENTH OVER. He too went through the masquerade of calling for sawdust to dry the ground.
Former England captain Mike Atherton commented: "There's been a couple of biggish no-balls. He was over that front line by a good half-a-foot or so."
Play was abandoned due to bad light and rain at 5.45pm so the third no-ball promised by Majeed didn't happen.
But after play ended for the day Majeed smugly rang our reporter to brag. "You a bit more comfortable now?" he asked. "Told you. Once you showed your hand, I showed my hand, okay?"
Then he revealed how he had arranged another no-ball for the following day's play.
"Right, it's going to be Amir's third over and third ball," he said.
"It'll be his third over, not the third over of the game." He ended the call by reminding our man: "Boss, I'm telling you, you're dealing with the right person, you're not dealing with an idiot, all right?"
But on Friday morning Majeed contacted our man saying that he'd received a message from Amir.
Majeed said: "He's briefed up. He's just texted me now to say 'Shall I do it or not?' "
And Amir DID do it - despite getting off to a sensational start, taking three quick wickets in nine balls.
Commentators described him as being "on fire" as England wickets tumbled to his pace attack. Amir managed to skittle out England batsmen Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan without any of them scoring a single run. It was only the fifth time in history the third, fourth and fifth batsmen in an order had been dismissed for ducks. During the blitz, former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, commentating for Sky, said: "It's been Mohammad Amir's morning. He's made that ball talk."
His colleague Michael Atherton said: "Remarkable stuff this morning from Pakistan and in particular Mohammad Amir. Just 18 years of age. He's running in from the Pavilion End. He's like an old hand.
"He looks like he's going to get a wicket with every ball he bowls."
With Amir tearing through the batsmen, Majeed quickly contacted our man, warning that the promised no-ball might have to be cancelled and that we shouldn't place big bets on it. He said the captain might tell Amir to keep up the onslaught. "So much is happening out there at the moment," he added. Majeed was right - captain Salman Butt, who Majeed boasts is one of his players in the fixing scam - did have a quick word with Amir just before the THIRD BALL of the THIRD OVER.
Usually mid-over conversations between bowlers and captains would be about the placement of fielders and whether to make any changes.
On this occasion, no changes were made, prompting commentator Michael Holding to chip in: "A quick conference between captain and the bowler. Hasn't resulted in the field being changed. Not yet."
But there WAS a sudden change in Amir's form. As promised, he bowled and again placed his foot over the crease, into the banned area - a no-ball. The umpire had a word with Amir about the surprise delivery, pointing out how far over the line his foot had been.
On the TV replay, the side view showed he placed his foot at least eight inches past the line. It prompted bowling legend Michael Holding to exclaim: "How far over was that? Woh!"
Ian Botham added: "It's like net bowling" - referring to when bowlers don't try so hard when they are practising in the nets.
With his next ball Amir bowled a delivery that again caused problems for Jonathan Trott, with both commentators saying how good a ball it had been. Test Match Special listeners on BBC Radio 4 heard Jonathan Agnew and England legend Geoffrey Boycott recall how Amir had massively overstepped the crease the day before and called the delivery a "hostile ball". Agnew explained to listeners that Amir's boot was over the line "by a foot".
They then discussed the possibility that Amir could have done it on purpose in a bid to deliver the quicker ball closer to the batsman.
After the disgraceful cheating by Amir, Majeed rang back and told our man: "I'm not a joker, boss, okay? So you're confident?"
Grasping Majeed demanded yet another £10,000 payment. He said: "Try and get it to me four or five o'clock, yeah? Because I can give it to them as soon as they're finished, then that's done."
He explained how he was due to meet the team straight after close of play to accompany them to a charity dinner organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board. In an emotional interview after Friday's play on Friday, Amir hid his secret shame and told of his pride at bagging his first five-wicket haul at Lord's.
The young bowler, who made a big show of kneeling to kiss the hallowed turf on reaching the landmark, told Test Match Special: "These moments are for me good. At Lord's I wanted my name on the (honours) board and I did it."
He called the delivery that snared England's Alistair Cook - shortly before he carried out his third bent no-ball - the "most delightful wicket."
Ironically, the cheat said it was the best day of his career so far
The three balls that will shake world of cricket
By Mazher Mahmood & Amanda Evans, 29/08/2010
THEY are the three no-balls that will be recorded in the statistics books forever - and will be remembered for shaking cricket to its core.
Millions of fans who watched Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif send down the trio of deliveries over two days' play at Lord's, had no idea they were bowled as part of a match-rigging scam.
Incredibly, during live coverage, respected TV and radio pundits exclaimed to worldwide audiences how bad every one of the faked no-balls looked - little knowing they were ordered by money-grabbing fixer Mazhar Majeed, who just a day earlier had collected £150,000 from undercover News of the World reporters.
Listen to the taped calls between our reporter and the match-fixer who rigged the Lord's test between England and Pakistan
And it all played out like clockwork exactly as Majeed promised it would. He claimed the players had demanded we pay the cash as our entry ticket into an existing shady gambling syndicate based in India.
In return he revealed solid details of the three no-balls he'd planned for the Lord's Test. . .
MAJEED: "There's no risk, there's no signal. . . these three are definitely happening. They've all been organised, okay? So, the first ball of the third over of the innings, yeah.
"Asif and Amir are going to be bowling. Amir is to bowl the first over (meaning he will also bowl the third), yeah?
"Okay? Then the tenth, the last ball. . . sixth ball of the tenth over."
REPORTER: "The tenth over. Who's bowling it?"
MAJEED: "Asif will be bowling it."
Majeed then explained that the third no-ball would come in the first over that teen wonder boy Amir got to deliver to an England right-hander, after one of the opening two left-handers had been dismissed.
Just to convince us Amir was onside Majeed telephoned the young star at his hotel. "Are you sleeping f***er?" he asked crudely. Amir confirmed that's what he was trying to do.
"Ok, sleep," said Majeed. "We've spoken about everything before anyway. Ok, don't mind. You sleep'."
But when Amir prepared for his day's work at the 4th Test on Thursday morning, he was certainly awake to what was expected of him.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt strolled out to meet England skipper Andrew Strauss in the middle of the ground shortly before the weather-delayed toss at 1.10pm on the opening day of the test.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to put England in to bat.
Butt had his customary huddle with his team but bizarrely did not even bother to inspect the recently uncovered wicket like his opposite number Strauss. As predicted Butt put Amir and Asif on to open the bowling.
And, as promised, on the FIRST BALL of the THIRD OVER to England opening batsman Alastair Cook Amir overstepped the white line marking his bowling crease by a huge margin.
Umpire Billy Bowden immediately raised his arm to signal the no-ball at 1.56pm.
Pakistan's 18-year-old rising star had sealed cricket's shame on the pitch once illuminated by legends including WG Grace, Ian Botham and Don Bradman.
But the sly player brazenly tried to hide the truth, raking the spikes of his boots across the line and asking for sawdust to be put down as he falsely blamed the no-ball on loose footing.
Bemused Sky commentator Ian Botham exclaimed: "No-ball. Because of the one-dayers, you don't see that too often with the bowlers who play two forms of the game. They've got into the discipline of keeping behind that front line."
The BBC online commentary read: "Dirty great no-ball from Amir, that was fully two feet over."
Seven overs later, yet more disgrace was heaped on the game, as 27-year-old Asif also overstepped the crease on the LAST BALL of the TENTH OVER. He too went through the masquerade of calling for sawdust to dry the ground.
Former England captain Mike Atherton commented: "There's been a couple of biggish no-balls. He was over that front line by a good half-a-foot or so."
Play was abandoned due to bad light and rain at 5.45pm so the third no-ball promised by Majeed didn't happen.
But after play ended for the day Majeed smugly rang our reporter to brag. "You a bit more comfortable now?" he asked. "Told you. Once you showed your hand, I showed my hand, okay?"
Then he revealed how he had arranged another no-ball for the following day's play.
"Right, it's going to be Amir's third over and third ball," he said.
"It'll be his third over, not the third over of the game." He ended the call by reminding our man: "Boss, I'm telling you, you're dealing with the right person, you're not dealing with an idiot, all right?"
But on Friday morning Majeed contacted our man saying that he'd received a message from Amir.
Majeed said: "He's briefed up. He's just texted me now to say 'Shall I do it or not?' "
And Amir DID do it - despite getting off to a sensational start, taking three quick wickets in nine balls.
Commentators described him as being "on fire" as England wickets tumbled to his pace attack. Amir managed to skittle out England batsmen Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan without any of them scoring a single run. It was only the fifth time in history the third, fourth and fifth batsmen in an order had been dismissed for ducks. During the blitz, former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, commentating for Sky, said: "It's been Mohammad Amir's morning. He's made that ball talk."
His colleague Michael Atherton said: "Remarkable stuff this morning from Pakistan and in particular Mohammad Amir. Just 18 years of age. He's running in from the Pavilion End. He's like an old hand.
"He looks like he's going to get a wicket with every ball he bowls."
With Amir tearing through the batsmen, Majeed quickly contacted our man, warning that the promised no-ball might have to be cancelled and that we shouldn't place big bets on it. He said the captain might tell Amir to keep up the onslaught. "So much is happening out there at the moment," he added. Majeed was right - captain Salman Butt, who Majeed boasts is one of his players in the fixing scam - did have a quick word with Amir just before the THIRD BALL of the THIRD OVER.
Usually mid-over conversations between bowlers and captains would be about the placement of fielders and whether to make any changes.
On this occasion, no changes were made, prompting commentator Michael Holding to chip in: "A quick conference between captain and the bowler. Hasn't resulted in the field being changed. Not yet."
But there WAS a sudden change in Amir's form. As promised, he bowled and again placed his foot over the crease, into the banned area - a no-ball. The umpire had a word with Amir about the surprise delivery, pointing out how far over the line his foot had been.
On the TV replay, the side view showed he placed his foot at least eight inches past the line. It prompted bowling legend Michael Holding to exclaim: "How far over was that? Woh!"
Ian Botham added: "It's like net bowling" - referring to when bowlers don't try so hard when they are practising in the nets.
With his next ball Amir bowled a delivery that again caused problems for Jonathan Trott, with both commentators saying how good a ball it had been. Test Match Special listeners on BBC Radio 4 heard Jonathan Agnew and England legend Geoffrey Boycott recall how Amir had massively overstepped the crease the day before and called the delivery a "hostile ball". Agnew explained to listeners that Amir's boot was over the line "by a foot".
They then discussed the possibility that Amir could have done it on purpose in a bid to deliver the quicker ball closer to the batsman.
After the disgraceful cheating by Amir, Majeed rang back and told our man: "I'm not a joker, boss, okay? So you're confident?"
Grasping Majeed demanded yet another £10,000 payment. He said: "Try and get it to me four or five o'clock, yeah? Because I can give it to them as soon as they're finished, then that's done."
He explained how he was due to meet the team straight after close of play to accompany them to a charity dinner organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board. In an emotional interview after Friday's play on Friday, Amir hid his secret shame and told of his pride at bagging his first five-wicket haul at Lord's.
The young bowler, who made a big show of kneeling to kiss the hallowed turf on reaching the landmark, told Test Match Special: "These moments are for me good. At Lord's I wanted my name on the (honours) board and I did it."
He called the delivery that snared England's Alistair Cook - shortly before he carried out his third bent no-ball - the "most delightful wicket."
Ironically, the cheat said it was the best day of his career so far
Jackdaws
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Aamir is an 18 year old. That is an impressionable age - I hope they give him a rap on the knuckles and give him another chance even if he is found guilty. The rest of them - if guilty should be banned for life.
JanjaWeed
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this is surely not straight forward as it sounds. sounds like it's a dangerous web. once u get sucked into it, there is no way you are going to get out. you are going to be blackmailed for rest of your life. player who doesn't want to indulge in these kind of things right from the start, will find himself isolated & eventually is either phased out of the team or chucked out abruptly like in the case of younis khan!!
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