Darrell Hair calls Pakistan's tour players 'cheats, frauds and liars'

 

               

Darrell Hair, the former Test umpire, has branded the Pakistan cricket team "cheats, frauds and liars" and criticised the International Cricket Council, the world governing body, for refusing to act despite apparent evidence that Shoaib Akhtar tampered with the ball during the one-day international between Pakistan and England at the Rose Bowl last Wednesday.

Hair, who stood in 78 Tests and 135 one-day internationals, also told Observer Sport he feels vindicated following Pakistan's troubled tour of England, which was overshadowed by the "spot fixing" scandal when players were accused of deliberately bowling no-balls. Pakistan's Test captain, Salman Butt, and his team-mates Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were suspended and returned home early.
The Australian's career was ruined by his stance in the controversial Oval Test in August 2006 during Pakistan's last tour of England, when a Test match was forfeited for the first time, following accusations that Inzamam ul-Haq's team had tampered with the ball. Hair retired in 2008 because of the fall-out from the incident.
The Pakistan players returned home late last week after the most troubled tour in modern cricket history. Ijaz Butt, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, reiterated his refusal to apologise for smearing England players' reputations. Butt said there had been "loud and clear talk in bookies' circles that some English players were paid enormous amounts of money to lose [the third one-day international]." He made the allegations after the ICC said they were investigating the third ODI for suspicious scoring patterns by Pakistan. Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB media manager, told the Jang newspaper that there was no question of Butt apologising.
Hair said of the tour: "The fans, viewers and crowds have been watching cheats and liars. How long will they continue to part with their money to watch manipulated matches and players cheating? The ICC should be ashamed to allow these matches to take place."
Shoaib was apparently caught on camera interfering with the ball and Hair said: "Regardless of irrefutable evidence of ball tampering the ICC still choose not to take action, which is unsurprising given their record and inability to control their own game. 'The game must always go on' seems to be their motto.
"Unfortunately the Pakistan cricketers show no respect for the game and continually attempt to cheat. The game as currently being played by Pakistan is a hoax and a fraud to the public."
On the fourth day of the Oval Test in 2006 Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled that Pakistan had tampered with the ball and awarded England five penalty runs and offered the batsmen a replacement ball. When Pakistan refused to resume play after tea in protest at the decision the umpires left the field, informed Pakistan they must return, then walked back out to the middle.
When Pakistan did not do so Hair removed the bails and England were declared winners by forfeiture. Pakistan did retake the field 25 minutes later but while England were also willing to resume, Hair and Doctrove refused. Hair's career was effectively ruined when a few days later the ICC made public his offer to resign in exchange for $500,000 for what he considered his projected lost earnings.
The following year Hair took the ICC to an employment tribunal, claiming racial discrimination, after the governing body had banned him from officiating in November 2006. While that case was settled out of court and Hair did umpire two more Tests, he then retired.
Asked if he now felt vindicated Hair said: "Yes. Maybe now more and more people will understand why I acted like I did in 2006."
When contacted the ICC declined to comment

ICC promises leniency for suspended trio

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has entered into a constructive deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC) which will allow the three suspended cricketers freedom to resume their international careers if no evidence is found against them shortly, according to details received by The Express Tribune.
The PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt confirmed that the Pakistan board and the ICC have agreed to halt the war of words relating to spot-fixing allegations following reconciliation between the two parties. Butt earlier termed the ICC’s investigation into the allegations as “terrible” and also called for the removal of ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.
“The ICC has promised to show leniency and has shown willingness to close this matter soon which forms part of the reconciliation between the two parties,” a PCB official told The Express Tribune. “Scotland Yard has failed to gather any evidence against our players despite weeks of investigation and the ICC, in the meeting with the PCB chairman, assured him that they will not stretch the matter unnecessarily.”
Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were provisionally suspended by the ICC earlier this month after the News of The World placed spot-fixing allegations on them during Lord’s Test. The three players were questioned by Scotland Yard but were allowed to travel back to Pakistan after assuring their availability if needed.
“The ICC has given the punishment without getting any proof which is concerning them [the ICC] now as well. Due to this, they have changed their stance towards the players. It now seems likely that the players will be cleared and allowed to resume their careers.”
The three players have already sent their replies to the governing body through their UK-based lawyer Elizabeth Robertson in which they pleaded not guilty and asked the suspensions to be lifted. The ICC, according to its rules, will have to form a tribunal which will look into the replies.
“We have been told that the tribunal would be formed soon which, if something substantial can’t be found against them, will not extend the case.”
PCB consults lawyer after ECB’s notice
The PCB has also decided to involve Robertson in the ongoing tussle with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following the latest allegations against the Pakistan team after the third One-Day International (ODI) at The Oval.
Following the chairman’s remarks linking the England players with match-fixing, the ECB sent a letter to the PCB demanding an apology from the chairman with a legal case to follow if that was not to happen.
A PCB official confirmed to The Express Tribune that the board had received the letter from the ECB.
“We have received a letter from the ECB and will reply to it shortly, probably in a day or two,” said the official. “Butt had a conversation with Robertson to discuss the repercussions of the PCB’s possible steps on the issue.”
The PCB official, however, said that the chairman was reluctant to apologise for his comments.
“Butt is likely to maintain his stance as to why the Pakistan players were accused of fixing without any evidence and may not send an apology for his comments.”
Butt claimed he was informed by gamblers that English players took bribes for throwing the third ODI at The Oval which Pakistan won after making a comeback.
The chairman’s remarks came after a newspaper report claimed that the “scoring
partern” of the match was pre-determined and the ICC was informed of this beforehand.

Tainted Pakistan trio seek legal help

Suspended Pakistan players have consulted their lawyers to file a reply to a notice sent to them by the ICC.

Test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were suspended by the ICC earlier this month after British tabloid 'News of the World' broke a story saying they had taken money to bowl no-balls during the fourth Test at Lord's.
The trio who have returned home from England were given 14-days' notice to respond to the charges against them but they got an extension on time from the ICC.
"Now they are busy preparing their detailed reply to the notices sent to them by the ICC as they feel the suspensions on them are not justified," PCB's legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi said.
He said that once the players sent their individual replies to the ICC the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit would then convene a preliminary hearing to hear evidences against the players and decide if the suspensions were justified.
"If the matter goes beyond the preliminary hearing then it would be heard by the commissioner of the code of conduct commission of the ICC in 40 days time," he said.
Sources in the Board said that the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt had told his legal team to start pushing for the preliminary hearing so that selectors could be clear on the availability of the three players who are key members of the national team.
" Pakistan is next up against South Africa in the UAE from next month and then tour New Zealand, the selectors want to know which of the players would be available for selection for these tours," the source said. The source said Butt had instructed the legal team to get the ICC to either give a preliminary hearing date or have the suspensions revoked.
"The Board is also anxiously waiting for the report of the prosecutor's office on the Scotland Yard investigations into the allegations against the three players.
"If the prosecutor's office clears them then ICC would also not be in a position to continue the suspension for long," the source added.
The source said with the 2011 World Cup now few months away the selectors were anxious to know the status of the suspended trio and coach Waqar Younis had also told the Board Chairman this issue should be cleared up as soon as possible.

'I am better than my stats suggest' - Sami

Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, is targeting a return to the national team for the series against South Africa in the UAE in October, and the World Cup early next year. Sami last made an international appearance in May, during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, and has been out of reckoning since. However, with the uncertainty over the availability of fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif following the spot-fixing controversy, Sami could be in the frame for a comeback.

"I've not taken much time off during the off season and have been working hard on my game at the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy, as well as training on my own," Sami told PakPassion.net. "I want to ensure that I am 100% ready when the new season starts. I am hopeful that the hard work will pay off and I can be given another chance for Pakistan."

Sami began his international career on a high, grabbing eight wickets on Test debut in 2001, against New Zealand in Auckland, and a hat-trick against Sri Lanka in Lahore in his third game. He formed a promising opening bowling combination with Shoaib Akhtar, and was tipped for a bright future, but failed to meet expectations, averaging 50.73 in 34 Tests to date.

"Sometimes statistics don't always tell the full story," Sami said. "I don't want to offer excuses, but those that have followed my career will appreciate that I have not had the best of luck. I am a better bowler than my statistics suggest and I will prove that in the coming months and years if given the opportunity.

Sami was dropped from the national team in 2007 and he went on to participate in the unauthorised Indian Cricket League before returning to the official fold. Since his return, he has played just one Test, the controversial defeat against Australia in Sydney in January. "I was given one opportunity in Australia and took three wickets in the first innings. I removed the top three Australian batsmen and felt in good shape, but then I never played in the next match. I'm desperate to be given another chance and to show what I can do, if given a decent run in the side."

Sami, currently the captain of the domestic team Karachi Blues, has a significantly better ODI record, averaging 28.44 for his 118 wickets. Selection to the 2011 World Cup squad means more to him than just making an international comeback. "The memory of the 2007 World Cup still haunts all of the squad," he said. The tournament itself was a disaster for Pakistan cricket and of course Bob Woolmer's death was heart-breaking for all of us. I want to put that terrible tournament behind me and to make the 2011 World Cup a success for Pakistan."

Can Pakistan team produce a consistent cricket captain?

Pakistan cricket changes captains like T-shirts. In the last one and a half year, Pakistan has changed 4 captains. The latest casualty has been Salman Butt.

It all started after the retirement of the former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq. Shoaib Malik was named the captain of the team after Inzamams retirement. His reign includes an ODI series win against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. A runner-up trophy in ICC World T20 answered some of the unresolved cricketing questions regarding the future of Pakistan team. Later, Pakistan greeted South Africa at home. South Africa has been the best test side in the world, and Pakistan lost a 2 match test series 1-0. The ODI series was exciting and both the teams crafted a good show. It was 2-2 going into the 5^th ODI. Shoaib Akhtar coming back from the ban, ended up with the excellent figures of 4/43, and restricted South Africa to a modest total of 233. Pakistan, in chase of a meagre target started off quite well. The team needed to score 25 runs in 40 balls with 5 wickets in hand. However, the team couldn’t perform up to the mark, making certain shots that were questionable. It was not soon that the players seemed relentless to remove Shoaib Malik from the captaincy.

Following the players demands and lowly performances, he was exited afterwards, when Pakistan lost ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2009. Some of the team members went to the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman in order to file a complaint against Shoaib Malik. They did not want to play in his captaincy. Amir Sohail suggested to the cricket board not to support the rebels in this matter. He was of the view that if the board supported the rebellion, similar patterns would be observed again.
Cricket Board named Younis Khan, the next captain. It seemed as if things were settled, but a hurricane could be sensed. Younis led the side well. A smart captain with a brilliant brain, was tactically well-equipped to lead the side. Younis certainly looked the ultimate solution for the troubled team. He started well in the test series against Sri Lanka, scoring a triple hundred. Younis led the side to their first World T20 title. Pakistan, once again started to look like a giant force, gain back its vigour and gleam.
The victorious Pakistan went to Sri Lanka on a high. But alas! Players again started lobbying against Younis Khan. They again, never wanted to play under their aggressive captain. Many senior cricketers started to cook conspiracy against the Younis Khan. The adversaries played their tolls and Pakistan was hammered by Sri Lanka in the test series 2-0. Pakistan lost both the test matches that could have been won easily. Once again, some of the rough shots played were to be questioned.
Senior team players, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik and some others took oath on Quran that they will be united against Younis Khan. Finally, they had their wish granted. The victorious, world T20 captain resigned from the job, refusing to tour down under.
Mohammad Yousuf, the senior pro was given this tedious job in New Zealand. Pakistan again lost from the position of strength. Chasing down a modest total of 251 runs, Pakistan was able to score 5/195, but then again they lost 5 wickets for 24 runs.
New Zealand tour then followed a disastrous Australian tour, where Pakistan lost every single game they played. Sydney test still is considered the biggest nightmare in the history of Pakistan cricket. Pakistan snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Kamran Akmal dropped five sitters and missed the simplest run-out.

An inquiry committee looked into the matter, and Captain Mohammad Yousuf was handed an indefinite ban. However, the players who pleaded guilty are still playing. Shahid Afridi was handed over the captaincy duties in all formats, despite of concerns about his test comeback. He stared nicely and took his team to World T20 semi- finals, however, Pakistan failed to qualify for the Asia cup finals.

Recently, Pakistan was to take on Australia in England. They posted a whitewash in T20 matches against Australia. It was a good start. Shahid Afridi then announced his retirement from test cricket after a thumping loss to Australia at Lord’s.
Salman Butt, the vice captain on that tour was handed over the captaincy. A 15-year-old jinx was ended at Leeds with Pakistan finally beating Australia. Afterwards, a victory at the Oval against England after two dismal performances was pleasing.
Spot-fixing allegations chased Pakistan’s three top cricketers at the centre of Lord’s. Salman Butt, the captain alongside his fellow members Asif and Amir were suspended from further cricket.

Now Shahid Afridi is hinting a Test comeback in a series against South Africa. It is to be kept in mind by the Pakistan cricket officials that the frequent switching of captains is having adverse affects on the team’s unity and its performance. It is yet to be seen who takes over the crown of Pakistan cricket team.