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‘Mumbai gangster approached us’
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There was no way Aamer could defy Butt
Bookie threat behind fixing: Lawson
Younis sends legal notice to NOTW
ODIs should go on: Broad
‘I’ve evidence to prove Dixit approached Asif’
‘Aamir is innocent’
Court summons PCB chief, players for Sep 7 hearing
Man on a mission!
Vijender, Akhil in CWG boxing squad
Randhir quits from SAI governing body
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‘Mumbai gangster approached us’ Australian duo of Shane Watson and Brad Haddin confirm being approached by a gangster linked with Indian bookmakers Melbourne, August 31 "Both players had immediately reported the approaches to the authorities and neither is suspected of any wrongdoing," the newspaper said. Watson also confirmed that he was approached twice by the illegal bookmaker and he had reported the matter to Australian team management. "I didn't think too much more of it until I found out a bit more information and that he was actually one of the illegal bookmakers," he told the Australian Associated Press. "It was just a little bit different to what normal fans are," he said. Watson's admission came after spot-fixing allegations against several Pakistani cricketers, including captain Salman Butt, rocks the world cricket. Mazhar Majeed, an alleged bookie, claimed in a sting operation by British tabloid 'News of the World' that several Pakistani cricketers were involved in spot as well as match-fixing. Watson was in "complete shock" when he first learned of the match-fixing allegations and said if found true the accused players face the risk of life ban. "When I first heard about it I was in complete shock, there's no doubt about that. If the allegations are true then they will unfortunately get a lifetime ban," he said. The 29-year-old Australian all-rounder said he was upset about young Mohammad Aamer's involvement in the match-fixing scandal. "I probably feel for him (Aamer) more than anyone because he's only a young, naive and innocent guy," Watson said. "Unfortunately he's caught up with something (and) whether it's in their culture I don't know, I don't know how deep it runs but it's unfortunate that someone of his skill has got tied up with something that is damaging to cricket and to the individuals. "I found him to be a brilliant competitor on the field. He always gave everything he got every single time that I competed against him and I found him to be an extremely skillful bowler for a 19-year-old," he said. — PTI
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There was no way Aamer could defy Butt
Yet when our reporter turned up at the Pakistan team's training ground — where the massively muscled Akhtar was pawing the ground — and presented the cheque to Akram, he seemed most put out. The skipper wanted cash — and seemed faintly incredulous that we would not have realised. After much scurrying around the local cash-points, the bank notes were duly accumulated - although I wondered at the time how much of the money would reach the young fast bowler who was actually doing the work. There was, of course, nothing illegal or even contrary to the laws of cricket in what Akram - one of the most talented cricketers ever to have played the game - had done; yet I can't help recalling that episode in the wake of the News of the World's compelling allegations of how Pakistan's latest fast bowling prodigy, 18-year-old Mohammed Aamer, had delivered no balls to order as part of a betting scam during the fourth Test match against England last week. Much of the obloquy has been heaped on Aamer's young shoulders: the front page of yesterday's Daily Mail shows the chairman of the England Cricket Board, Giles Clarke, handing over the man of the match cheque to Aamer in an openly disdainful fashion, accompanied by the headline "The look that says: You've shamed cricket". I was in the MCC's Committee room that day, and my sympathy was entirely with the crestfallen-looking teenager; it was obvious to me from the text of the News of the World's taped telephone calls with the betting "fixer" that whatever Aamer had done on the field would have been under instruction from his captain, Salman Butt. In international cricket teams the captain has a particular power — he is usually part of the selection process, and can make or break the careers of his players; in Pakistan, as in many Muslim countries, there is the added social factor of the deference the young are expected to show their elders. If the fix was in, and it was to involve Aamer, there was no way such a youth - in his first season in the national side - would defy the orders of his captain. So I don't share the view of Andrew Strauss, the England cricket captain, that if Aamer is found guilty of having taken part in a betting conspiracy he should be banned for life. One can understand Strauss's fury: his team had just completed a brilliant performance in crushing the Pakistanis, and now it seemed that would be devalued by the suspicion that their opponents were not on the level. Yet perhaps Strauss should consult the England team's own spin-bowling coach - one Mushtaq Ahmed. Mushtaq, known to one and all as "Mushy", was one of Pakistan's leading players at a time when the side had become a byword for match-fixing. When their activities were finally investigated by the Qayyum Commission, "Mushy" did not come out of it well. The retired High Court judge Malik Qayyum declared in 2000 that there were "sufficient grounds to cast strong doubt on Mushtaq Ahmed... He has brought the name of the Pakistan team into disrepute with, inter alia, associating with gamblers." Qayyum recommended that Mushtaq "be censured, kept under close watch and not be given any office of responsibility in the team." If I were a Pakistani cricket fan I might think that a call for draconian measures against my team from the English cricketing establishment would be more acceptable if it had not itself chosen to give a position of responsibility to someone so comprehensively denounced by the Qayyum Commission. I don't believe for an instant that any member of the current England side is tainted by links to betting syndicates; but it would be equally preposterous to assert that while the Pakistanis are motivated by filthy lucre our lads are in it only for the love of the game and country. While professional cricket in this country long ago broke with its corrupt gambling past - in the 18th and 19th century it was run entirely as a conduit for (frequently fixed) betting - the idea that it is about glory alone is strictly for the birds. — By arrangement with The Independent |
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Insufficient evidence to charge
Majeed: Parry
New Delhi, August 31 “I don't think (the case) has any evidence at all,” said Parry. "Unless the News of the World placed a bet — which would be highly unlikely because in so doing they would have carried out a criminal act - then there doesn't appear to be any betting activity at all associated with these particular allegations. It places the ball, to pardon the pun, squarely back into the hands of the cricket authorities," he told Cricinfo's Switch Hit podcast. Parry said lack of evidence puts greater responsibility on the International Cricket Council to ensure that the guilty doesn't go scot free. "The ICC is very much in the spotlight on this one, and so it can't afford not to (act)," he said. "When you see the publicity like we've had over the last couple of days, there can't be a single reason not to take the right action, because it's the reputation of the sport at stake, and nothing can be more important than that. "Everyone connected with sport - participants and spectators - have a basic right to believe that sport is clean and that everyone is doing their best, because that goes right to the root of what's good about sport," he added. Parry also stressed on the importance of educating the youngsters so that young talents like Mohammad Aamir doesn't get trapped in such temptations and waste their talent. "I think one of the great sadnesses of all of this, and it's a widely held view, is that a great young talent like Amir has been implicated in this one," said Parry. "I think that's what perhaps separates this from many other cases, because it suggests that the bad guys got to him before the good guys did. "One of the fundamental recommendations of our panel, along with disciplinary measures and sanctions, is that it's absolutely fundamental to have education processes in place, so that players and participants are taught from a very, very young age, first of all what the rules mean, so that there can be no excuses, and secondly that they are vulnerable to outside influences," he added.
— PTI |
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Bookie threat behind fixing: Lawson
London, August 31 In his column in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, Lawson wrote: "If these allegations of fixing are proved, it could be related to extortion, threats, and the well-being of their own family members. It would not surprise me if illegal bookmakers have told players that if they do not perform X and Y, their families will be kidnapped or harmed." The former Australia fast bowler, who coached Pakistan, believes criminal organisations target players with non-financial ways of ensuring matches go according to a certain plan. "In my time as Pakistan coach, I gained some incredible insights into the workings of the country and the team, and I'll never forget the time the team captain called me up to his room on the eve of a match. "Earlier that day, a player who we had not selected for the game approached me, saying: "I was told I would be playing tomorrow." My response was, "Well no, you're not, you've obviously been given the wrong information." "Then the skipper of the side called me late in the evening. I went to his room and he was standing there with a very sombre-looking selector. "This selector said: "We must pick [the player who had earlier approached me], I have been told that if he is not in the team tomorrow, my daughter will be kidnapped and I will not see her again." "At first we both laughed, but then we realised he was being serious. Our chairman then called the president, Pervez Musharraf, who in turn phoned the people behind the threats and said they had better reconsider or else. The next we heard the matter had been resolved," Lawson said. — PTI
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Younis sends legal notice to NOTW
Karachi, August 31 "Yes, the notice has been sent and in it Younis has demanded that the newspaper publish a denial and also pay damages of USD 10,000 towards the flood relief fund for the millions of Pakistanis displaced by the floods," a source said. "The brothers approached Pakistani players to sign them during the 2006 tour and Younis refused," the source added. The source also claimed that Younis was one of the few Pakistani players, who had refused to sign the Majeed brothers as their agent in England. Mazhar is at the centre of a new match-fixing scandal and was arrested for trying to defraud bookmakers. He was later released on bail. Mazhar claimed that he had paid bribes to some Pakistani players, including captain Salman Butt, for spot fixing in the fourth Test against England at Lords.
— PTI |
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ODIs should go on: Broad
London, August 31 "The one-day series should go on, as far as I'm concerned. We shouldn't call it off on the back of an investigation that is ongoing. We want to play and what about the supporters who have paid for tickets?," Broad wrote in Daily Mail. "It is up to others to decide whether any of the Pakistan players involved in those allegations should miss those games, but we will be giving our utmost against whoever we face. And we trust the opposition will be, too." Broad, who hit his maiden Test century in the Lord's Test, believes that Pakistani side fought hard throughout and that he did not notice anything untoward in the series, which his side won 3-1. "We are all still stunned in the England cricket team. The dressing room is in a state of shock at the allegations that now surround our Test series victory over Pakistan. I can honestly say that I never dreamt there was anything untoward about our victories," he wrote.
— PTI |
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‘I’ve evidence to prove Dixit approached Asif’
New Delhi, August 31 Dixit had yesterday alleged that it was Veena Malik who approached him, claiming that she managed seven Pakistani cricketers with her and could strike a deal for fixing matches with their
help. "Mr Dheeraj is denying any kind of contact with Mohammad
Asif. I have telephonic details of Asif and Dixit where in 15 days, the latter contacted Asif for 17 times. I have the details of all this," Veena told 'Times Now'. "Tell me, why Mr Dixit called him
(Asif) so many times? I have heard all these conversations. Dixit had a meeting with Asif in Thailand before the Australian series in December-January.," she said.
— PTI |
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‘Aamir is innocent’
Karachi, August 31 "We have told him remain firm and the truth will come out and you will be vindicated soon." Ijaz felt that the betting charges against Aamir were made because he was an upcoming cricketer and had performed very well in England. "Aamir is very disappointed with this situation and it is hard for him to reconcile that he is being accused of spot fixing," Ijaz said.
— PTI |
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Court summons PCB chief, players for Sep 7 hearing
Karachi, August 31 The man, Mazhar Majeed claimed he had paid bribes to several Pakistani players to indulge in spot-fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lords that ended in an innings and 225 runs defeat for Pakistan. The ICC and Scotland Yard are presently investigating the case and are expected to file their report by Thursday. Lawyer, Ishtiaq Ahmed who had submitted his petition against the players and PCB on Monday has called for the players and officials to be tried under the treason law of the country.
— PTI |
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Man on a mission!
Patiala, August 31 For Jai, boxing showcases the exuberance of man, it broadcasts his momentary triumph over himself and opponent alike even as he regards the king of combat sport as a celebration of life. He burst on the scene in all its dramatic intensity when he won a silver in his favourite 60 kg category against all odds in the 2009 Asian championship held at Zhuhai (China) in June last year. Experts rate his win against local boy Hu Quinxun in the semifinals as one of the best bouts of the championship. Touted as a favourite before he entered the ring, Hu got the beating of his life by a charged up Jai Bhagwan who won the bout with embarrassing ease by registering a 12-3 score line. This heralded the arrival of the new kid on the bloc. Four months later Jai shook the boxing fraternity by securing a quarterfinal place in the World boxing championship held in Milan (Italy). In the quarterfinal, Jai Bhagwan threw a lot of upper cuts but could not finish off the technically better boxer in Eric Donovan of Ireland. Says Jai Bhagwan, “Boxing is the mainstream contact sport, its skill lies in punishment and is a sort of artistic violence. In Rugby body parts are most inadvertently brutalised. In boxing it is all intentional.” Two months ago Jai went on an training-cum-preparatory camp in Cuba with the Indian team where he had the opportunity to meet Cuban boxing legend Felix Savon. Jai Bhagwan and Felix Savon travelled for nearly 15 hours on the same bus from Santiago to Havana and the boxer terms the experience as a “once in a lifetime opportunity that was illuminating and educative enough to turn me into a more mature man.” Recounting his meeting with Savon, Jai recalls how the Cuban told him that without taking risks he would not be able to become a good boxer. Savon told him, “Dreams do not come true. Had that been the case I would have been a billionaire. Risk attaches itself to many sports including boxing. Life and limb are so often challenged that it has almost become routine. Jockey’s are killed under galloping hooves, race cars disintegrate and extreme sport enthusiasts like mountaineers go too early to their Gods. So risks have to be taken. The more calculated the better it is.” Apart from glory that the Commonwealth gold would bring him, Jai has also set his sights on something else. The Haryana Government has promised to promote the boxer to the post of DSP if he wins the yellow metal in New Delhi.
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Vijender, Akhil in CWG boxing squad
The selection of the team for both Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games was done after three-day trials in
Patiala. Vijender (24), who became India’s first Olympic and Word Championships medallist by clinching bronze in the events, will be a part of the Indian team in both Commonwealth and the Asian Games, scheduled November 12 to 27 in Guangzhou, China. “The last time I competed in the Commonwealth Games, I got a silver, and had to settle for a bronze in the previous Asian Games but this time I am aiming for the gold,” the world number one said. Akhil (28), however, has been replaced by South Asian Games gold medallist and reigning national champion Chhote Lal Yadav in the team for the Asian Games. “The team for the Asian Games differs in only three names. Chhote comes in for
Akhil, V Santhosh Kumar comes in for Manoj Kumar in 64kg and Vikas Krishan comes in for Jai Bhagwan in 60kg. That is because these three boys did very well in the trials.
Chhote, Vikas and Santhosh were very good and they deserved to be given a chance,” Indian Boxing Federation’s secretary-general PK Muralidharan Raja said. “Akhil, for all injuries he has battled, was phenomenal during trials. He beat everybody to pick himself for the Commonwealth Games but Chhote was good and deserved to be in the team. So, there is no question of Akhil being ignored or sidelined for the Asian Games,” he added. On being left out of the Asian Games,
Akhil, who would be participating in the World Series of Boxing after the Commonwealth Games, said: “It is up to the selection committee. I will compete in the events I am selected for.” A total of 44 boxers from the CWG Core Group participated in the trials, which were for the first time held like a full fledged Championship with International referees and judges assisting the seven-member Selection Committee and Jury to pick the boxers. Except for the 18-year-old
Vikas, a world youth champion and a bronze medallist from the inaugural Youth Olympics, making the Asian Games cut ahead of the more experienced Commonwealth champion Jai
Bhagwan, both teams offer hardly any surprises. “Vikas reached for the trials on the same day he landed in India after the Youth Olympics and he still managed to put up a good show. He holds tremendous promise for the future,” said Col
Raja. Vijender unhappy with selection trials
He has been picked for both Commonwealth and the Asian Games but Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh said today that he is still unhappy with the way selection trials for the two events were conducted as some “deserving” boxers have been left out. “I am not happy with the way trials were done. International referees and judges were brought and it seemed like a tournament but what is the point of doing all this when the boxers are not even told their scores,” the middle weight 75kg pugilist said. He said among those who were not picked despite a fine show in the trials include his cousin Balwinder Beniwal (64kg), a youth Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, and reigning national champion Sunil Kumar (49kg), who also happens to be a former Commonwealth champion.
— PTI |
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Randhir quits from SAI governing body
New Delhi, August 31 He said he was denied “even a routine invitation” for the Arjuna Awards function at Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, though he had been receiving invitation for such functions for the past many years, not only on his standing as a renowned sportsperson, but also as an internationally-known sports administrator. Randhir said the U-turn in the Ministry officials' attitude towards him started when he began supporting the Olympic Charter and vehemently opposed the imposition of the government guidelines on the IOA and the National Sports Federations, which would infringe on the autonomy of these bodies. Randhir,a trap shooter, had participated in many Asian Games, winning the gold at Bangkok, a number of Olympic Games and other international sports meets, to establish his unimpeachable credentials as a sportsperson of high standing. |
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Federer, Clijsters off and running
New York, August 31 Federer, seeking to regain the crown he lost to Juan Martin del Potro last year after five consecutive titles, strolled to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Brian Dabul of Argentina in the featured night match on the Arthur Ashe Centre Court. The Swiss star, who won just his second tournament of the year in Cincinnati eight days ago, was never in trouble against the former top junior as he got back to winning ways in the tournament he totally dominated from 2004 until last year’s upset in the final. “I've never lost a night session match here and feel very much at home. Been in six straight finals and would like to be there again this year, but the path is long and rough,” he said. “I missed many break chances but credit to Brian, too. It was his first time on centre court at a major.” Joining him in the second round was potential quarter-final opponent Robin Soderling, but he needed five sets to see off unheralded Austrian Andreas Haider-Maurer 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 5-7, 6-4 On a hot and sunny opening day there were wins also for sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia - a 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 winner over Michael Russell of the US - and ninth seed and 2003 champion Andy Roddick, who saw off Stephane Robert of France 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 on the American's 28th birthday. But Hewitt, at 29, found the shot-making of unpredictable Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu too much to cope with as he went down 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1. It was the first time he had lost in the first round at Flushing Meadows in 11 starts and will cast further doubts on his competitiveness at the highest level of men’s tennis. — AFP Sania crosses first hurdle, Somdev out
Sania Mirza won her fourth match on the trot to cruise to the second round of US Open but it was an early exit for Somdev Devvarman, who lost his opening round in the men's singles event. Sania, who entered the women's singles as a qualifier, scored an easy 6-3, 6-2 win over fellow qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito of Portugal in the first-round match. Somdev, who earned a direct entry into a Grand Slam for the first time, went down fighting against the South Africa's Kevin Anderson 3-6 4-6 3-6 in his first round in the men's singles event. The defeat means that Somdev has not gone beyond the first round in Grand Slams this season. He had failed to qualify for the Australian Open and the Wimbledon and lost in the first round of the French Open. A second round appearance at the US Open last year remains his best performance in the Slams. It took Sania one hour and 17 minutes to dispatch her rival and set up a second round clash with Russian
20th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. "For me, the fact that I am still capable of going on court and winning four matches in a row gives me a lot of confidence that I still have the ability," Sania said after her win.
— PTI |
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Australian duo
of Shane Watson and Brad Haddin confirm being approached by a gangster linked with Indian bookmakers
Boxer Jai Bhagwan has set his eyes on CWG
New Delhi, August 31
A decade ago I authorised the payment of £1,000 in cash in return for a favour from the captain of the Pakistan team. We had wanted to send a feature writer to face some deliveries from the first fast bowler ever to be recorded breaking the 100mph speed barrier, Shoaib Akhtar. All the negotiations had to take place via his captain, including the fee.
New Delhi, August 31