KARACHI: Pakistan’’s World Cup captain and coach believe an outstanding performance in the tournament will lead to the return of international cricket to the country and also redeem Pakistan’’s image in the cricket world. “In the last two years, our isolation as a international cricket venue and the spot-fixing controversies have badly hurt us and affected our performances,” coach Waqar Younis told a news conference in Lahore on Thursday. “This World Cup is very important for us. To me as a former captain and coach it has been a painful period. I honestly believe that this team has the potential to win the Cup and redeem Pakistan cricket in the eyes of the world.” At the 2007 World Cup Pakistan’’s coach Bob Woolmer died in tragic circumstances and they suffered a humiliating loss to non-test playing nation Ireland en route to a first-round exit. However manager Intikhab Alam felt things were on a more even keel now. “I am confident this will be a controversy-free event for us,” he said. Waqar felt the team deserved a lot of credit for producing some fine performances since last year despite feeling the heat from the spot-fixing controversy. “I am proud of these boys and Afridi has led them superbly and I know they have the potential to win this event. We have got the momentum going and it is just a matter of the team clicking at the right time. “Since the tournament is being held in the sub-continent I would say the sub-continental teams have a definite edge,” he added. Captain Afridi said it would be difficult to predict the outcome. “We have the players to adjust to all sorts of conditions and pressure situations in the tournament. But at the end of the day it is all about how you play. This is a long tournament and much will depend on how teams keep their momentum going, fit and motivated. This will be crucial,” he said. The Pakistan squad leaves later on Thursday for Bangladesh where they play two warm-up matches and then move onto Sri Lanka for their Group A matches in the Feb. 19 – April 2 event.
Written on February 10, 2011 | Posted in
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Denial, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance: the five stages of the grief reaction that Pakistan fans have experienced over the spot-fixing controversy. Denial and anger were left behind in the English summer. Bargaining for a better outcome was almost exhausted by the Doha hearing and the criminal case launched by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. It may continue with an appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport. But now that we know the ICC’s verdict, the predominant sentiments are sadness and acceptance. Once the News of the World videos…
Written on February 7, 2011 | Posted in
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DOHA: Timeline of the spot-fixing controversy ahead of the anti-corruption tribunal’’s decision here on Saturday in the case against Pakistan’’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif: August 29, 2010 – The News of the World says it paid 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars) to a middleman in return for details about the timing of three no-balls in Pakistan’’s fourth Test against England at Lord’’s. – The report says Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif delivered the blatant no-balls at exact points in the match agreed with the alleged fixer. – The bowlers and Test captain Salman Butt are interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives. – News of the World publishes photograph of the alleged middle man, Mazhar Majeed, counting wads of banknotes given to him by a reporter posing as a front man for a betting syndicate. Majeed is later bailed. August 30 – There are suggestions that Butt, Aamer and Asif could be withdrawn from the Pakistan team to ensure that two Twenty20 internationals in Cardiff go ahead. August 31 – Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) says it will not suspend its players while investigations continue. – Butt, Aamer and Asif summoned to meet the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ijaz Butt, and the Pakistan high commissioner, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, in London. September 2 – Salman Butt, Aamer and Asif dropped from the Twenty20 games. – The three vow to clear their names, according to Hasan, who adds that they are pulling out of the tour because of the “mental torture” of the scandal. – ICC charges Butt, Aamer and Asif with various offences under its anti-corruption code. All three are provisionally suspended. September 3 – Ronnie Flanagan, chairman of the ICC’’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, tells reporters: “The conclusion that we have come to is that there is a really arguable case to answer.” September 4 – Pakistan one-day skipper Shahid Afridi apologises for the “spot-fixing” row, saying: “On behalf of these boys — I know they are not in this series — I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations.” – News of the World claims a fourth Pakistan player is being probed over the claims, but declines to name him for “legal reasons”. September 5 – News of the World releases footage of Pakistan Test player Yasir Hameed in which he claims team-mates “were doing it (fixing) in every match”. September 17 – Police pass the “spot-fixing” file to the Crown Prosecution Service. September 18 – ICC launches investigation into the third one-dayer at The Oval — won by Pakistan — after receiving information from the Sun tabloid on allegedly pre-arranged scoring patterns. It later emerges that the ICC tried to persuade the ECB to call off the Oval match shortly before the start. September 19 – PCB chairman Ijaz Butt alleges England were paid “enormous amounts of money” to lose deliberately at The Oval. September 20 – England team threaten to sue Ijaz Butt. September 22 – England, having been pulled back from 2-0 up to 2-2, beat Pakistan by 121 runs at the Rose Bowl to take the five-match series 3-2 in the final fixture of the English season. September 29 – Ijaz Butt withdraws allegations that England players had “thrown” the third one-day international. October 4 – Chairman of non-league English football club Croydon Athletic David Le Cluse, 44, found dead from gunshot wounds in a garage near his home in Sutton, south of London. The owner of the club is Mazhar Majeed. October 13 – The ICC says there is no evidence of corruption in the third one-day international between Pakistan and England. October 22 – Asif withdraws challenge to his provisional suspension. November 4 – Pakistan suspends the contracts of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer. December 13 – Salman Butt denies allegations he was involved in a spot-fixing scam, saying: “I have not done anything such as this in all my life or cricketing career”. January 11 – After six days of evidence, a three-man independent anti-corruption tribunal, meeting in Qatar, decides to delay an announcement of its findings until February 5. February 3 – The British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) says it will announce on Friday (February 4) whether the trio of cricketers face legal action in England following a separate investigation by London’’s Metropolitan Police.
Written on February 4, 2011 | Posted in
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It is a glimmer of hope amid the shadow cast by the spot-fixing allegations and controversy. Most youngsters in England still have faith in cricket despite the damage done to the game’s reputation by the ongoing saga around corruption and illegal betting, a survey of secondary school children has suggested. In a poll of 510 children aged 11 to 18, nearly two-thirds (63%) say they don’t think all matches are fixed while six in 10 children who watch cricket on TV or go to see games live say they will…
Written on September 21, 2010 | Posted in
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