ARACHI: Corruption has overshadowed the biggest crime in sports, which is doping, especially in cricket. Things have been made so scientifically orchestrated that even if one sees them happening one can’t make a final call whether it was all scripted or natural.
Misbah-ul-Haq
A number of cricket matches in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 have been put under the doubts of match-fixing by world media quoting their sources but the latest incident was the biggest match of the tournament, i.e. Pakistan vs India in Semi-Final at Mohali.
It has already been reported by some quarters of Pakistani media and a broader Indian as well as global media that they have found some powerful hints of fixing in the second Semi-Final.
A huge media group in Pakistan quoted its sources in the government as saying that Rs40 billion were shifted from Pakistan to India under the garb of betting money, through illegal banks made specifically for such transfers.
Younus Khan drops a sitter and still smiling!
As many as 24 bookies collected the money (Rs40 billion, out of which Rs29 billion were collected from Karachi only) from at least 31 areas of the Capital city of Islamabad and then sent it to India through some cricketers, politicians, and some government officials.
Pakistan’s rate before the ICC Cricket World Cup was as up as over Rs12 which went down to somewhere around Rs4 before the Semi-Final match against India where India’s rate was Rs0.60. It has also been calculated by some of the biggest media groups that in case Pakistan won the Mohali battle, 90 percent of the bookies would have defaulted across the world, especially in United Arab Emirates.
A bookie in India has claimed that there was a group in Pakistan cricket team who kept on doing spot and fancy fixing during the tournament, especially in the matches against Sri Lanka and Canada.
Viru punishes Gul
He further stated that skipper Shahid Khan Afridi proved helpless against the strong group and couldn’t even show his grief and frustration in front of the crowd or media, rather he was found crying after losing to India in his dressing room. A dejected look on his face during the match tells the whole story, he added.
He went on to say that he knew that India will score just over or around 260 runs, will lose three or four wickets at around 25 overs, especially they will lose two wickets in a quick succession. He added that Pakistan will cruise to 100 runs for not much loss then will lose their way and would be 150 for about 5 wickets loss and then will lose by around 20 runs.
Shahid Afridi couldn't believe what he was watching
Even the runaway wicketkeeper, Zulqarnain Haider, who fled to UK from UAE after he claimed to have been threatened by bookies, told media, that a group of players including Akmal brothers had fixed the semi-final. “I am not surprised by the defeat because they are groups operating in the team and they don’t allow any player to settle down unless he succumbs to them. The same thing happened to me. No one is allowed to settle into the team unless they are supported by a group and that is what happened to me. Players are not allowed to settle into the team if they don’t go along with a group. That is the reason why Kamran is still in the team despite poor performances. No other keeper would be retained in the team if he dropped the number of catches Kamran has dropped”.
As a matter of fact, these facts were shared before and during the semi-final match by some other people on their facebook pages, like these couple of images being showed here.
Facebook users, named Vidur Naik and Kalpit Babel, shared on their profile statuses, “Bookie update..India will bat first score over 260, 3 wickets fall within the first 15 overs, pak will cruise to 100, then lose 2 quick wickets, at 150 they will be 5 down and crumble and lose by a margin of over 20 runs”.
Kamran Akmal keeps doing what he knows the best, dropping catches.
If we take a look at the scorecard of Pakistan in the said match, Pakistan were 100 for two in just about 25 overs and then lost Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan in the space of three runs and 11 balls. As claimed by the bookie, Pakistan lost their fifth wicket for 142 runs and their sixth at 150 runs. Moreover, at one stage, Pakistan had lost seven wickets for 184 runs, still 77 runs away from the victory and only three batsmen, in fact a batsman and two bowlers left at the crease. Misbah-ul-Haq who was struggling to steer ball into the gaps and was looking totally out of touch suddenly found the form of his lifetime and started taking long route hitting fours and sixes like it was a child’s play. It’s quite hard to believe that on a pitch where Misbah showed how to hit long shots, he along with Younus Khan played TEN maiden overs?
Let me take you back to the final match of the 1999 World Cup where Pakistani opener Saeed Anwar, after pounding leading Aussie bowlers, wanted to change his bat. And the very next ball which he faced after changing the bat, he was bowled.
Can you recall same type of thing in the Mohali clash? If not, then take a look at the highlights package of Pakistan’s innings and watch Umar Akmal’s dismissal. He was looking in prime touch, hitting 24 runs from three overs before the ball was changed and he asked for changing his gloves, the twelfth man came and he showed his discontent over the pair of gloves Ahmad Shehzad brought for him, and the very next ball, he was clean-bowled by Harbhajan Singh’s quicker delivery. Saeed Anwar was questioned and punished by a judicial commission probing match fixing and it would be interesting to see if the incumbent government does take action on this or not.
Afridi tries to bring Gul back on game plan, but in vain.
Earlier in the match, four catches of Sachin Tendulkar were dropped by none other than Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Younus Khan, and once again Misbah-ul-Haq.
Umar Gul, who had been Pakistan’s best fast bowler in the competition, bowled like he was bowling for the first time in an international match as his skipper set him a packed offside field and what he bowled was short-of-length deliveries on Virender Sehwag’s legs going for 21 runs including five boundaries and a No-Ball.
For icing on the cake, please check this piece of commentary of Gul’s second over of the innings by Cricinfo.
2.1: Umar Gul to Sehwag, FOUR, a half-volley on leg stump dismissed by Sehwag with a crisp flick off his pads. He hit that in the air but there was no fielder anywhere near midwicket
2.2: Umar Gul to Sehwag, FOUR, too straight again, not as full, but Sehwag stays in his crease and whips the ball off his pads through midwicket. Still no fielder there.
Now there’s a midwicket …
2.3: Umar Gul to Sehwag, no run, short of a length around the hips, Sehwag tucks the ball off his body towards the man at square leg
2.4: Umar Gul to Sehwag, FOUR, too straight again and Sehwag flicks, this time past the fielder at square leg and the ball races across his fast outfield towards the boundary before the fielder at long leg can get to it
There’s a deep square leg now. Field changes galore.
2.5: Umar Gul to Sehwag, FOUR, that’s the fourth of the over. A slower ball outside off stump. The length was short and there was width. Sehwag waited for it and cut the ball hard through point
2.6: Umar Gul to Sehwag, (no ball) FOUR, the fifth! And it’s a front-foot no-ball as well. Too full outside off and Sehwag drills the ball off the front foot through extra cover. Gul is rattled. Sehwag on the charge …
Free hit coming up …
2.6: Umar Gul to Sehwag, no run, Sehwag hits on the back foot and tries to heave the short of a length ball over the leg side, he mis-hits in into his pad. This game has burst into life in this over. Pakistan need to control the damage.
Umar Akmal cleaned up after changing his gloves!
The momentum shifted immediately towards India after that over and the drama went as planned till a flurry of wickets in the middle overs gave Pakistan the upper hand. However, strange fielding positions and changes in bowling let India move on from 205/6 to 260/9 when only Suresh Raina was at the crease and no real batsman was there to accompany him.
Something of same sort happened in the match against Sri Lanka as well where their openers chasing Pakistan’s target of 278 runs cruised to 76 for no loss where Umar Gul bowled same sort of deliveries which he bowled to Mr. Sehwag. Pakistan kept dropping catches amongst them the easiest of dollies but it was Afridi’s stupendous form with the ball which got them the victory, otherwise the match was done and dusted by a group of players, looked quite evident in the field. Do you guys remember, the state Sri Lankan television channel had accused Mahela Jayawardene of fixing the match? Although, the claim was later taken back but smoke comes out only where there is fire.
Whether the semi-final was fixed or not, we leave the decision on our readers. The proofs are limitless and smart lawyers can downplay them as well, so we are not making any claim that it was fixed but actually we have presented things in front of our readers how they were orchestrated in a trend.
Should the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) be proactive this time or once again it should wait for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take things under its control, this is a big question.
After coming back to Pakistan this morning, skipper Shahid Afridi clearly asked the PCB to get rid of the senior players. He said senior players, not some senior players, which means a lot. Was he trying to advise PCB, please get rid of fixers? Time will tell us only as it told us in the case of Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir, and Salman Butt, but the nation has accepted the defeat as they were always ready to accept it at any stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 knowing very well who are playing in the team.
We also must not forget that initially names of five players were revealed in the illustrated spot fixing scandal of last August and our readers are very well aware of the name of those two players who got benefit of the doubt at that time.
It’s time once again to get Pakistan cricket rid of these clouds of fixing and a strong policy should be devised to put a lid on this scandal once and for all
