Lalit Modi claims umpires and administrators too fix matches

The suspended IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, on Tuesday claimed that the umpires and administrators of the game also fix matches at the International level.

Soon after the Southwark Crown Court in London declared two Pakistan players - Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt - guilty of spot-fixing, Modi wrote on his Twitter page that it’s not only players that fix matches, rather match officials also fix games.

"It's not only players that fix matches - Sometimes there are Umpires too in connivance with Administrators. Again.. these reports are buried," stated Modi on a micro-blogging website.

A 12-member jury of Southwark Crown Court on spot-fixing, after 16 hours and 56 minutes of debate, found Butt and Asif guilty of charges of “conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt money, levelled against them by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of Britain.

10 out of the 12 jury members voted against the accused Pakistan cricketers while two voted in their favour.

"It is worst form of corruption. It makes everything else look Pale,” tweeted Modi. "People remotely assisting - match / Spot Fixing or People Preventing the information from coming out are equally to blame for this menace," he added further. 

The former Indian Premier League chairman was suspended from the coveted role soon after the conclusion of the third edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in April last year.

The discarded IPL chairman asked for severe punishments for those who have been found guilty of match fixing or spot fixing.

"Persons involved in fixing should be completely banned from participating any kind of professional sport,” said Modi, who himself has been accused of financial irregularities by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"Cricket authorities must have a zero tolerance for spot- fixing. Problem is that quantum of betting has jumped - with no checks and reporting," he added further. 

The spot fixing saga goes back to August 2010, when three Pakistan players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir conspired with a bookmaker Mazhar Majeed to deliver some deliberate no balls in a Test match against England at Lord’s.

The trio has already been handed bans from all forms of cricket by an ICC tribunal in February this year.

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New Zealand Cricket flags match-fixing incident to ICC

The Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket, Justin Vaughan, has said that they have informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) about a possible match-fixing. The alleged incident happened during an international tournament in which some players were treated to dinner by a suspicious businessman.
According to reports, Daryl Tuffey, Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum were seen with a man from Middle East, who was a famous diamond dealer and was also watched by the anti-corruption department. Some media sources have said that initially the players had no idea about that Middle-Eastern guy and his profession. They came to know about his business when he offered them some expensive gems and diamonds on discounted rates.
The New Zealand cricket team manager, Steve Wilkins, reported the incident to the New Zealand Cricket board and its Chief Executive, Justin Vaughan.
The Chief then discussed the incident with International Cricket Council and they told their ACSU to take proper action against the suspected players, who were seen along with the alleged businessman.
The players were interrogated by the ACSU of the ICC, which is headed by the former UK police officer, Sir Ronnie Flanagan. However, the players told them that they did not do anything illegal and were not under the suspicion of match-fixing at any point.
Match-fixing has been a serious issue in the cricketing world. Many examples can be seen who were allegedly involved in match-fixing and spot-fixing. The trio of Pakistan cricket team, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned by ICC for their involvement in spot-fixing during their 2010 England tour. They were banned from all types of cricket for at least five years.
According to the footage made by an English tabloid, a suspected book-maker, Mazhar Majeed, was seen taking GBP150,000 in cash in a meeting. Asif and Amir bowled no-balls precisely on the times when Majeed predicted. Such information is used by betting syndicates to place their bets.
After such incidents in the past, the ICC has made sure that no such offence should be entertained in any form of cricket in the world. The ACSU is also taking serious measures to stop such alleged incidents.

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ZULQARNAIN HAIDER TO FACE THE MUSIC ON HIS RETURN SAYS PAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD

In a latest development regarding the runaway wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, it has been learned that he might return to Pakistan on April 24^th 2011. According to reports, Haider will be facing the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) disciplinary committee who will then decide his fate.

Haider has however, clarified that his passport is with the British authorities and until the travelling documents are returned, moving back to his country will not be possible.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the former player met up with the interior minister of Pakistan, Rehman Malik at the latter’s house in London, where he expressed the desire to return to the country and resume his cricket career. Haider also requested Malik to provide security to him and his family. It is believed that after the meeting with Malik, Haider finally made a decision to go back to Pakistan.

However, the lanky wicketkeeper has violated rules and regulations of the PCB and getting off the hook will not be an easy task. According to insiders, Haider will be up against PCB’s disciplinary and inquiry committee before getting clearance to resume his career.

The wicketkeeper, who has applied for asylum in the United Kingdom and is currently living there on a temporary residence permit, has not responded to the show-cause notice that was slapped by the PCB for his actions.

Haider in November 2010 became a matter of embarrassment for the PCB when he deserted his national team, which was in the United Arab Emirates playing a five-match One Day series against South Africa. Haider disappeared right before the fifth and final match of the tournament. The team management was clueless about his whereabouts, and it was only after the match that the UAE authorities informed that Pakistan’s wicketkeeper had boarded a United Kingdom bound flight.

After landing in London, Haider disclosed that he had received life threats from an unknown suspected bookmaker, who wanted him to lose the fourth and fifth match against the Proteas. Haider refused to comply and instead to opted to run for his life. Without revealing any names, he accused certain players within the team of having links with bookies. In his first press conference he announced his retirement from international cricket and expressed the wish to live peacefully in England.

However, later through his Facebook profile, the rogue cricketer pledged to announce the names of the individuals in the PCB that were involved in match-fixing. Nonetheless, he retracted his statement soon after fearing for his family’s security in Pakistan.

The PCB also terminated his central contract and has not cleared the money that the board owes him for representing Pakistan in the matches he played. Haider, threatened to sue the PCB for holding his payment, however, he never pursued a case against the country’s cricket board.

What made Haider finally decide to return home is still unclear, but now it seems as if within the coming days, the Haider saga will finally come to its conclusion - that is if he does indeed return to Pakistan

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Zulqarnain Haider wants to return to Pakistan

Pakistan’s runaway wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, has once again expressed desire to return to Pakistan and resume his cricketing career.

In the latest development regarding the former cricketer, who is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, it has been learnt that he met Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik in London.

According to details, Zulqarnain has requested the minister to provide him security once he returns back to Pakistan. The 24 year old Haider informed the minister that he wanted to resume playing cricket for his country but that would not be possible if he was not provided security by the government of Pakistan as he believes that there exist serious threats to his life by the people, who want to hurt him for not cooperating with them.

No official response has been recorded by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) or the Government of Pakistan regarding Haider’s request.

Two months back, Haider’s family was taken off a London bound flight by Pakistani security, as they were requested by the PCB not to let Haider’s family leave the country. However, later their passports were handed back to them.

Last year, Haider toured with the national team in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a series against South Africa as a replacement for regular wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal.

However, he abandoned his team after the fourth One Day International (ODI) and fled to England without informing anyone. He later revealed upon reaching England, that he had been receiving life threats from an unknown individual, who he believed was a bookmaker.

According to the runaway wicketkeeper the bookie wanted him to lose the fourth and fifth ODI against the Proteas but Haider refused and instead fled to another country.

This caused an international embarrassment for Pakistan and the PCB because the country was already entangled in a spot-fixing fiasco and another controversy was the last thing the country wanted at that time.

After his desertion, Haider announced retirement from international cricket and pledged to live a peaceful life in the UK. But later he announced that he would be disclosing the names of the people in the PCB having links with match-fixers.

However, after posting this statement on his facebook page, he never mentioned the names of the culprits. Later he clarified that as long as his family was living in Pakistan, he was not in a position to unmask the black sheep within Pakistani cricket.

His family also complained of receiving threatening calls from an unknown number. The family requested the government to provide them security.

The PCB formulated a committee to look into the Haider saga, which concluded that the player carried a complicated personality and was easily made to believe things.

According to interviews with other teammates, who were close to him, it was revealed that the player was looking to settle in UK when he was with the team during Pakistan’s tour of England.

Haider then threatened to sue the PCB for leaking a false report regarding his personality. However, he did not start a legal battle with the country’s cricket board.

It is not clear what made him change his mind now, but it will be difficult for him to make a comeback in the national side after he accused many fellow players of being involved in match/spot-fixing. 

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