Reports claim India-Pak World Cup semi-final, IPL games fixed

Reports claim India-Pak World Cup semi-final, IPL games fixed

The ugly face of match fixing has once again surfaced and once again Indians and Pakistanis, the favourite whipping boys for all the ills in world cricket, seem to be at the centre of the fresh controversy. It is alleged that the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan in March was "fixed".

To add spice to the unending fixing saga, it is alleged that a Bollywood actress has been used to lure players on the English county scene into underperforming, completing a heady cocktail of quick money, women, and moles in the game that probably assist bookies who seem to be concentrated in India, Pakistan and Dubai.

England's Sunday Times newspaper claimed, through a sting operation, that a "web of match-fixers are increasingly focusing their attention on the English county game and players" because, as it said, "nobody monitors them", in addition to the Indian and Bangladesh T20 leagues and international matches. The publication also alleged that an unnamed Bollywood actress is being used as a honey trap by bookies to make players underperform, and that illegal betting rings are prepared to offer up to £750,000 to players who comply.

The newspaper's undercover reporters claim to have video recorded a Delhi bookmaker, identified as Vicky Seth, "boasting" about his targets. "English county cricket is a good new market," he allegedly says in the poor quality video. "They are low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. That's why good money can be made there without any hassle if we can get the players to play for us."

Another bookie - identified as Monubhai - alleges that he had worked with players from top cricketing nations. "I was invited to strike a deal with some New Zealanders but I didn't go. The IPL starts on April 4, then everyone will be doing it," he is alleged to have said.

 The paper claimed that "tens of thousands of pounds are on offer to fix matches, typically £44,000 ($70,000) to batsmen for slow scoring; £50,000 ($80,000) for bowlers who concede runs; and as much as £750,000 ($1.2 million) to players or officials who can guarantee the outcome of a match".

The International Cricket Council (ICC) declined to comment. Colin Gibson, ICC's head of media and communications, told the paper: "We do not comment of Anti Corruption and Security Unit matters." But, probably, more than the English county games, it is the mention of the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final in Mohali that should be a reason for concern for cricket fans and the cricket boards of India and Pakistan.

Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja, who is in Dhaka as a television commentator for the ongoing Asia Cup, admitted that the game has been beset with problems and that a solution has to be found soon.

Reacting to the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final, the suave Raja, who was part of the commentary team at the match in Mohali on March 30 last year, said it was a "good game".

"They [allegations of Sunday Times] have not targeted Pakistan. I don't know how to react to this. There have been problems at the international level with regard to spot-fixing and match-fixing, and that's a chequered history of our game, unfortunately," Raja told MAIL TODAY during a Bangladesh-Pakistan match at the Sher-e-Bangla International Cricket Stadium.

"But, having said that, I think you cannot just carry on getting the game highlighted for the wrong reasons. I think it's very important that we take care of the sport and play it as honourably as possible."

Raja, 49, however, said he would prefer to wait for some time before committing. "I guess we have just got to wait and see what evidence they have provided to the ICC. I have no other comment to make because this is very early to do it. It was a good game, actually; a close game," he said. On Sunday, after the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh, Pakistan player Mohammad Hafeez said he had no idea of the allegations.

The fresh claims of spot-fixing and match-fixing come at the heels of a series of related episodes, mostly from England.

A few days ago, a Pakistani citizen, Sajid Khan, was arrested during the T20 Bangladesh Premier League, his passport was confiscated by the Dhaka Police. According to reports, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) security staff stopped him as he was said to be doing some suspicious activities near the players' dressing room during a Chittagong Kings-Barisal Burners game at the Sher-e-Bangla International Cricket Stadium. The mobile confiscated from Khan reportedly contained a bank account number of Pakistan's Nasir Jamshed and e-mail ID of Rana Naved Hasan.

A few weeks ago, former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield became the first English cricketer to be jailed for corruption after he admitted to accepting money to fix a match against Durham in a competition in England in September 2009. Last year, three Pakistan players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - were jailed in Britain for their involvement in spot-fixing in 2010.