‘It’s only a temporary loss for Pakistan cricket’

Former Pakistan cricketers described the verdict as an unfortunate event in Pakistan’s cricket history and said that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir should appeal.

However, former captain Rashid Latif said the loss of the three players will be temporary and Pakistan cricket will recover.

“To gain an honest system, and have unquestionable integrity, you have to lose something and players come and go,” said Latif.

“This will be a momentary loss for Pakistan cricket.”

Players should appeal: Ahmed

Former Test cricketer Tauseef Ahmed asserted that the three players should appeal and prove their innocence.

“We kind of expected this verdict after the British Crown Prosecution Service’s decision,” said Ahmed.

“It is really disappointing but I’m sure it’ll reap some benefits for cricket in general.

“However, the players should definitely appeal against the hard verdict, if they’re innocent.”

‘They should prove their innocence’

Meanwhile, former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Khalid Mehmood said it is the right of the players to prove themselves innocent if they are not guilty.

“They should try to defend themselves as long as they can, and as long as they’re innocent. Clearing their name is their right,” said Mehmood.

PCB blasted

He also blasted the PCB for isolating the players when they needed help.

“We should help them in every way we can. The PCB should not isolate them but help them go through this.

‘Asif’s career over’

Former chief selector Iqbal Qasim said the verdict ensures that the careers of the tainted trio have finished.

“Asif will probably become useless after five years,” said Iqbal.

“Salman and Amir might have some chance, but it’s still very unlikely. Practically speaking I don’t think these players should think about cricket for some time now.

“Not just Pakistan cricket but cricket throughout the world will become better now. Unfortunately decades down the lane, everyone will remember this incident as an example. Pakistan has suffered but this is the price you pay.”

Qasim said the decision must serve as a reminder for other cricketers as well as for the PCB.

“I hope these punishments will help future cricketers be more responsible. I think it should also serve as a jolt for the PCB who should have curbed this before it happened,” said Qasim.

Analysis: Tribunal didn’t have too many choices

The ICC tribunal  that handed down the bans on three Pakistani cricketers in Doha did not really have too many choices before it. No matter what pleas for leniency it heard, or was prepared to entertain, it could not ignore the investigations of the Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). That investigation into the spot-fixing scandal has found that crimes have been committed. Serious enough to attract nine-year jail terms. Prosecutors said Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, along with Mazhar Majeed, the bookmaker the three wished they never had on their phonebooks, “should be charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat.”

For the ICC, criticised for not resolving the nearly six-month old issue in time to give the players concerned a chance to make the Pakistan World Cup side, there were obvious difficulties.

Cricketers are citizens first. And if citizens are accused of conspiracy or cheating, then they generally respond to charges before they get into flannels and start playing.

Consider the scenario where these men were included in the World Cup side. On March 17 they are expected at the City of Westminster Magistrate’s court. Giving them just enough time to pack their bags after the easy game against Zimbabwe to be at the hearing as they had promised. They would then rush back to make the crucial fixture against Australia at Colombo’s Premadasa Stadium on 19 March. And likely hear the Aussies say: “You’re missing some gear, boys, where are the handcuffs?” Bollywood plots are less ridiculous.

But the Aussies would be right. The crimes that the CPS is investigating just happened to have been committed in an improbable arena: a field of cricket. Where lesser crimes, such as batting too slow, playing a rash shot, or bowling too many wayward deliveries (unintentionally!) on a given day, have been punished with lifelong banishment from international cricket by authorities not bound by the procedures of Scotland Yard. Honest cricketers will tell you that.

For the three concerned, there is only one legal option available to clear their names. This is to go through the judicial process in England. The ICC is clearly guided by the CPS on this one, so an appeal at the court of arbitration in Switzerland against the ICC ruling, is meaningless. And guess what, the honourable Michael Beloff, QC, the guy who handed out the bans, will be the main man there as well.

If the minimum five-year bans does mean the end to three careers, I believe cricket will miss just one. Salman Butt, no matter what anyone says, would never be another Saeed Anwar. Mohammad Amir had tremendous potential, but was hyped by people like Wasim Akram (‘he is better than I was at his age’). Akram wouldn’t make his college team, although the umpire Aleem Dar was in the XI, so this cannot be saying all that much.

No, the real loss to cricket is the loss of the artist Mohammad Asif. And for what? Allegedly for a sum of money that the lowliest contracts in the IPL get you in six weeks? I will never stop wondering why Asif overstepped the line.

Pakistan players banned on solid evidence: Lorgat

International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said Sunday three Pakistan players — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — were banned on solid proof of corruption.

“We are satisfied at the tribunal’s decision, which was taken on solid evidence and we hope with this decision the image of the game will improve,” Lorgat told a press conference in Doha.

Lorgat, who was accompanied by the head of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), Ronnie Flanagan, was speaking a day after Butt, Aamer and Asif were handed lengthy bans for spot-fixing.

Butt was banned for 10 years, with five years suspended, while Asif and Aamer were handed bans of seven years with two suspended and five years respectively.

The charges relate to alleged incidents during the Test against England at Lord’s last year, when Britain’s News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.

The newspaper alleged the three had colluded in a spot-fixing betting scam organised by British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.

In a separate development on Friday, British prosecutors charged the three players as well as Majeed with corruption offences and summoned them to appear in a London court on March 17.

The trio have repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Lorgat rejected the suggestion that the punishments were lenient.

“I don’t believe the sentences are lenient by any stretch of the imagination,” said Lorgat. “I think they are balanced with an expert and experienced jury dealing with the case.”

The three-man tribunal was headed by Michael Beloff QC and also contained Albie Sachs of South Africa and Sharad Rao of Kenya.

“In legal terms you have to be proportionate when you are giving punishment and we must distinguish between match-fixing and spot-fixing, and the jury was independent and they decided on proportionate punishments,” said Lorgat.

Lorgat said the verdict will send a clear message to the cricket world.

“While I am deeply saddened that this case happened in the first place, I acknowledge and commend the decision to deliver lengthy bans to all three players.

“Corruption in our game will never be tolerated and, once again, I reiterate our zero-tolerance approach. I hope this investigation, and the verdicts delivered, makes that message crystal-clear.”

Butt and Aamer have expressed disappointment at the bans, with Butt hoping to get the ban reduced once the ICC code of conduct — which carries a mimimum five-year punishment — is amended.

Lorgat said the case tarnished the reputation of the game.

“We now would hope that the reputation, after having been initially tarnished, is now safeguarded. This is the incident we do not want to see in the game and equally at the speed at which we brought forward the charges, show our seriousness and we will do everything necesssary to protest the integrity of the game.”

Lorgat said both the players and the ICC have the right to appeal.

“If they wish to appeal, its their right. We haven’t considered that (appeal) at this point,” said Lorgat, who said any suggestions to root out corruption are always welcomed.

“The ICC Board has open mind and we are ready to listen all suggestions in order to root out corruption from the game, we consider all the recommendations that come our way,” said Lorgat.

Flanagan, who took over from Lord Paul Condon last year, also showed satisfaction over the proceedings.

“Over the past few months, the ACSU and the ICC’s legal team have worked extremely hard on this case, including in its investigations prior to the time that the News Of The World’s story broke.

“We have subsequently received significant support and cooperation from the newspaper’s investigators and the Metropolitan Police in order to develop the evidence on which the tribunal has based its decision.

“This case gives us a platform to build on and carry on our fight,” said Flanagan.

Imran Khan 'upset' at ICC verdict

Legendary all-rounder Imran Khan on Sunday said he felt “genuinely upset” at the lengthy bans given to three Pakistani cricketers for spot-fixing, but said punishments were necessary for the sake of the game in Pakistan.

“I am genuinely upset over the bans on three key, young and talented players,” Khan told AFP, a day after the tribunal announced the sanctions.

“But once the players were proven guilty a punishment has to be given for the sake of cricket in general and for the sake of Pakistan cricket in particular.”

Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup, said the loss of three key players would hurt Pakistan’s chances in the upcoming tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

“I feel sad for Aamer, who is probably the best young fast bowler in the world at the moment and had a long way to go,” said Khan of the 18-year-old left-arm paceman, regarded as the hottest property at international level.

“Asif is one of the best new ball bowlers and Butt is a solid opener, so with these three key players Pakistan would have done very well in the World Cup, but that is not to be.”

Khan said the nation felt humiliated when the spot-fixing case surfaced in August last year.

“It was great humiliation for the people of Pakistan as the kind of ignominy it brought made people more demoralised than the floods in the country,” said Khan of the natural disaster which struck Pakistan during the same period.

Khan said corruption was a serious problem in Pakistan.

“The sad part of this whole corruption episode is that most of the people sitting at important places in Pakistan are corrupt and with that prevailing what sort of signal we are giving to our youth?” he said.

Khan, who leads the Teherik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice) political party, hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its handling of corruption cases in the past.

“When the match-fixing scandal first surfaced in 1995 and we had judicial inquiry, even at that time the PCB mishandled the case as they were scared that if they ban some key players then team will lose and the Board will be sacked,” he said.

“Until and unless we have an elected Board who takes decisions on merit and without fears of being sacked we cannot have a proper domestic system and we won’t be able to avoid controversies like this spot-fixing thing.”

Afridi and Co can shock the best in World Cup

Finally, it has been decided; Shahid Afridi will lead Pakistan in the forthcoming World Cup. It’s an unnecessarily prolonged yet sane decision on part of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) simply because change of guard on the eve of the World Cup could have turned out to be disastrous, to say the least, given the unpredictable ways of Pakistan cricket.
Not taking anything away from Misbah-ul-Haq, who led the Test side astutely during the back-to-back South Africa and New Zealand series besides being prolific with the bat, it must be said that Afridi is the right man for the job for the World Cup because he has that aggressive attitude about himself and his game that is required to motivate the players when the chips are down.
Fortunately, things clicked for Afridi just at the right time as he began to find his feet, thus inspiring his men to thrilling series win in the six-match ODI series against the Kiwis.
After a series of nasty controversies that virtually crippled Pakistan cricket last year, our players finally managed to give some good news to to the nation in 2011 by securing the Test and ODI series in New Zealand.
Looking at the broader picture, the whole nation should now get behind Afridi and his team and give them confidence to excel in the game’s showpiece event that starts on February 19.
With all the contestants of the 14-nation extravaganza set to converge on the sub-continent, one would like to stress upon four key ingredients which can steer Afridi and Company to glory and they are: Unity, Courage, Intelligence and Leadership.
Former wicketkeeper Saleem Yousuf rightly pointed out recently that Pakistan players are at their best when united.
When unity permeates within a group, every member feels the responsibility to make extra efforts for achieving the goal and perform in tandem.
If one reviews the recently-completed ODI series in New Zealand, it becomes obvious that though no player maintained a very high degree of consistency, almost every member of the touring side chipped in at crucial stages of the games to bring glory for Pakistan.
When I mention the word ‘intelligence’, it refers to the reaction and the attitude required in respective situation of modern-day limited-overs cricket. Losing from winning positions has been a trait with Pakistan cricket teams and, needless to say, the margin for tactical errors in any sport’s premier competition such as the World Cup is always very small.
Whatever blunders Afridi or the Pakistan team management made in the first and last ODI in New Zealand must not be repeated in the World Cup. That’s what intelligence is all about — delivering the best in crunch games while avoiding mistakes made in the past.
Selecting the playing eleven, making the right decision after winning the toss, correct use of Power Play, etc should come about with the consent of the captain, his deputy, coach and the senior members of the team so that a victory is ensured.
Afridi and his men will also have to show a lot of courage in the World Cup – the sort that former skipper Imran Khan displayed in 1992 or Steve Waugh for the Aussies in 1999 – leading from the front with own excellence, making bold decisions and inculcating the never-say-die spirit among the fellow players.
Afridi has proved on a number of occasions in the past and that he can motivate the players to achieve the unthinkable, but it is essential for him to lead from the front and inspire his team in the World Cup.
One sincerely hopes that the disturbing bans against key players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir do not deter Pakistan in their quest for the World Cup. The experts of the game are tipping India, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka as the semifinalists but if they remain focused, Pakistan is fully capable of springing some big surprises in the mega event.

Difficult for banned Pak trio to avoid stigma: Akram

KARACHI: Former Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram on Sunday said it would be very hard for the three banned players -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammed Asif -- to get rid of the stigma associated with the bans imposed on them for spot-fixing. 

"I do feel sorry for the players and I can imagine what they must be going through right now particularly their families and friends," Wasim said. 

"This incident comes at a time when the whole country is going through a low patch and it is a tough situation for all Pakistanis," he added. 

The former captain however backed the bans by the ICC anti-corruption tribunal insisting they would be like a lesson to other cricket playing nations as well. 

"All this is very sad news for Pakistan and these youngsters but they made mistakes and they must face the music. But I feel the tribunal verdict shows that the ICC is serious about tackling any corruption in cricket," he said. 

Wasim said the bans were also a reminder to the other cricket boards that it was their job to educate and groom young players who come from humble backgrounds and educate players about anti-corruption measures. 

"I think it is job of management to let the players know clearly who they should associate with, who they should meet because youngsters need to be taught about their future in cricket," he added. 

Wasim said he felt specially sad for left arm pacer Aamer who is just 18 and has been banned for five years. 

"He is a wonderful talent and this ban will affect his career. Removing this stigma would be difficult for the trio." 

Wasim said it was time for Pakistan cricket fans to move on and focus on the World Cup by supporting the national team, which was now looking good. 

"We have the World Cup ahead of us and we need to support our team now," he said.

Aamir Sohail issued notice for not attending ICC course

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sent a show-cause notice to director National Cricket Academy Aamir Sohail for not attending the course held in England. Aamir Sohail did not attend the course and in place of himself sent his subordinate Ali Zia at the course. On taking action, director HR Wasim Bari has issued the notice to Aamir Sohail for not attending the course and sending his subordinate to London without getting permission.

Spot fixing: Pak players to contest ICC ban

Salman Butt and Muhammad Aamer, who were banned for 10 years and 5 years respectively by the ICC anti-corruption tribunal on spot-fixing charges, have vowed to contest an appeal the ban in the international court of arbitration for sports in Switzerland. However, there is no confirmation if Mohammad Asif, who was handed a ban of 7 years, will contest the ICC verdict or not.

Former captain Salman Butt said he did not agree with the verdict of the ICC tribunal announced on Saturday. In a brief talk with media, he said that he was disappointed with the ICC decision and the spot-fixing law is needed to be amended. Salman Butt said that the judge himself said that no law has so far been made on spot fixing and this is needed to be amended. Butt said that if this law is amended then his punishment may be reduced.

"This is too harsh a decision for charges that I bowled two no-balls deliberately. I was never expecting such a harsh decision. I am in a state of shock but I am going to consult my lawyer and appeal this ban in the international court," Aamer said from Doha late last night.

"I think this is the worst day of my life and I am just disappointed that because of me it is Pakistan that is facing embarrassment that is why we will contest this ban," he said.

The International Cricket Council yesterday banned former captain Salman Butt for 10 years and sanctioned seven and five years of ineligibility for pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Aamer after finding the three cricketers guilty of spot-fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord's in late August.

Aamer, who was first suspended by the ICC on allegations of spot-fixing last September, said that he had been in touch with his family after the ban was announced and they were supporting him. "I am really at loss of words to explain my feeling but it is a shocking decision to me. I just want to tell my countrymen to repose faith in me and keep on supporting me. I will come out vindicated," he said.

The 18-year old pacer also made it clear that he had no intention of giving up cricket and would continue his training and practice as he remained hopeful of a comeback. "Whatever God has ordained for me now perhaps it is for the betterment of my future."

Asked if he felt the Pakistan Cricket Board had not supported him as much as they could have done, the pacer said lot had been said about this in the media and it was obvious to everyone. "I would not like to comment on it further."

Malik ignores domestic event to play in BD league

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has neglected the current premier domestic one-day competition in favour of a lucrative league cricket in Bangladesh.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shown double standards as it first did not give Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) to Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik to appear in the same league.

Malik, alongside wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal, earlier applied to play in the Bangladeshi league but the duo were denied permission with the PCB reminding them that centrally-contracted players cannot travel abroad to play tournaments while the domestic season is on.

“When the PCB has chalked out a policy that players should focus on domestic season when it is underway then Malik’s representation in Bangladesh is unacceptable,” he said. “The board is itself showing double standard,” he added.

Malik did take part in the first-ever day-night Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final representing Pakistan International Airline (PIA), but now has overlooked the one-day tournament which is underway in Punjab. 

Malik, along with leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, were overlooked from the World Cup squad due to their alleged links with bookies.

Reacting to the story published in ‘The News’, PCB’s integrity committee demanded Malik to provide details of a transaction of 90,000 pounds in his British bank account but he failed to do so.

Later, Ishtiaq Ahmed, a Pakistani lawyer filed a petition seeking local court’s direction to the police to register a criminal case against Malik for allegedly making millions of rupees through match-fixing. He alleged that Malik not only made millions of rupees through match-fixing but also damaged the country’s image. He asked the court to freeze Malik’s assets in Pakistan and abroad. The Additional District and Sessions Court adjourned the case late until January 24.

Salman Butt becomes 5th captain to be punished

After Salim Malik, Muhammad Azharuddin, Maurice Odumbe and late Hansie Cronje, Salman Butt is now the fifth Cricket captain since May 2000, who has been punished by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for bringing the 134-year old Game of Gentlemen into disrepute and throwing away matches for the greed of money.

While Muhammad Asif becomes the only cricketer to get a seven-year ban, his fellow fast bowler Muhammad Amir is the fourth player who has been prohibited to play the game for five years along with Manoj Prabharkar, Ajay Jadeja and Maurice Odumbe.

While the 26-year old Salman Butt had scored 1,761 runs in 29 test matches with three hundreds and a batting average of 32.75 per innings, the 28-year old Asif had bagged 105 wickets in 22 test matches.

Meanwhile, the 18-year old Muhammad Amir had captured 51 scalps in 14 tests.

Former Pakistan skipper, Saleem Malik, goes down in cricket history as the first of a number of international cricketers to be handed over a life ban for match fixing during the turn of the 20th century.

Fast bowler Ata-ur-Rehman was also penalized along with Malik nearly 11 years ago.

In 103 test matches, Malik had scored 5,768 runs with 15 centuries at a batting average of 43.69 per innings.

Banned for keeping contacts with bookmakers and taking dirty money from them, Malik’s life ban were overturned in 2008 by court, but not before his career was virtually over.

Former Indian captain, Muhammad Azharuddin, is yet another disgraced international team skipper who had fallen from grace on charges quite similar to those laid down against Salim Malik.

Azharuddin, who had scored 6,215 runs at an average of 45.04 per innings with 22 hundreds in 99 Test matches, has been vehemently denying all allegations leveled against him in this context and had moved court as well to unsuccessfully prove his innocence.

The life ban had cost Azhar a chance of joining the 100 Test club, as he was left stranded on 99 Test matches.

Azharuddin joined the Indian National Congress party in 2009, contested the Indian general election that year and won the ballot exercise by defeating his BJP rival Sarvesh Kumar Singh with a margin of more than 50,000 votes.

Match fixing in Cricket had first surfaced in the year 2000 when the New Delhi police had intercepted a telephonic conversation between a blacklisted local bookie and a former South African captain Hansie Cronje.

The intercepted phone call had then led the Indian authorities to believe that the late cricketer had accepted bribes to throw matches.

Though the South African government had refused to allow any of its players to face the Indian sleuths in 2000, Cronje later admitted before a court that he did throw games for money. He was immediately banned from all forms of the game.

During his investigation, it was Cronje who had given the names of Saleem Malik, Mohammed Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja, contending they were also involved in the heinous business.

Voted the 11th Greatest South African in 2004, despite having been banned for life from professional cricket for his role in a match-fixing saga, Cronje had scored 3,714 runs in 68 Test matches with an average of 36.41. While middle-order batsman Ajay Jadeja and fast bowler Manoj Prabharkar of India were banned for five years each from international cricket, Jadeja’s ban was overturned by an Indian court in 2003.

Meanwhile, Manoj Prabharkar did try to implicate former Indian Captain Kapil Dev and others in 2000, but his plan had backfired after he was found guilty of match-fixing himself.

Months that followed also saw Australian greats Mark Waugh and Shane Warne alleged of accepting money for offering information about the weather and pitch information to a bookmaker called John, but they were spared by their cricket board after they had paid minor penalties.

Other international cricketers who had found relatively less harsh penalties slapped on them due to their roles in match fixing, include Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams (banned for six months each), Maurice Odumbe of Kenya (banned for five years), Marlon Samuels of West Indies (banned for two years).

The former Kenyan skipper Maurice Odumbe, who scored 1,409 runs in 61 one day internationals at an average of 26.09 per innings and taking 39 wickets for his country, was suspended from cricket in August 2004 after being found guilty of receiving money from bookmakers.

It should still be fresh in the memories of sports lovers that various Pakistan’s cricketing greats of yore, including Messrs Saeed Anwar, Ejaz Ahmed, Wasim Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed, Waqar Younus and Inzimam-ul-Haq were also accused on similar counts in the past. They, however, had managed to save their blushes as even if there was some evidence against them in this regard, it did not catch the eye of the ICC. 

Zaheer Abbas attacks Pakistan board as a nation's sport hits a new low over corruption charges

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Zaheer Abbas, a former captain and manager of the Pakistan team, said the country’s cricket board had let down the players and a nation of fans by not working to stamp out corruption earlier, despite years of allegations.

He said ordinary people would be shocked at the length of the bans.

“The thing is, for us Pakistanis, cricket is something we love. Now after these bans – 10 years, seven years, five years – people will stop loving it so much. And for what? Just two no-balls,” he said. “It seems very harsh.”

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram admitted that the lengthy bans handed out to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir represented a new low for the sport in the country.

“I feel sad for all three of these kids, two just over 20 and one just 18,” Wasim said. “I feel for their families because they are key players. This is a low for Pakistan cricket.