Pakistan Cricket team's match fixing news. Another embarassing moment for Pakistan.
Match-fixer pockets £150k as he rigs England Test at Lord’s
News of the World smashes multi-million pound cricket match-fixing scandal
THE News of the
World has smashed a multi-million pound cricket match-fixing ring which RIGGED the current Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan.
In the most sensational sporting scandal ever, bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif delivered THREE blatant no-balls to order.
Their London-based fixer Mazhar Majeed, who let us in on the betting scam for £150,000, crowed “this is no coincidence” before the bent duo made duff deliveries at PRECISELY the moments promised to our reporter.
Armed with our damning dossier of video evidence, Scotland Yard launched their own probe into the scandal.
CHECK BACK LATER TO VIEW DAMNING VIDEO EVIDENCE
Millions around the world watched Pakistan star bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif deliver three no-balls in the Test against England on Thursday and Friday at the historic home of cricket, Lord’s in London.
Unsuspecting fans packed the ground yesterday to watch Pakistan collapse as they were bowled out for 74 in their first innings and forced to follow on.
CAUGHT: Fixer Majeed beckons to our man to begin the £150,000 handover
But today our shock footage of the players’ fixer Mazhar Majeed taking a massive £150,000 cash, and telling us EXACTLY when the no-balls would come, proves the game was RIGGED.
Having already trousered a £10,000 upfront deposit – which he insisted had gone to the stars – Majeed sat in our west London hotel room at the Copthorne Tara on Wednesday night and eagerly counted out the £140,000 balance in bundles of crisp £50 notes – our “entry ticket” into his already successful betting scam.
Our undercover team was posing as front men for a Far East gambling cartel. In return for their suitcase of money Majeed then calmly detailed what would happen – and when – on the field of play next day, as a taster of all the lucrative information he could supply in future.
He promised: “I’m going to give you three no-balls to prove to you firstly that this is what’s happening. They’ve all been organised, okay?
“This is EXACTLY what’s going to happen, you’re going to SEE these three things happen. I’m telling you, if you play this right you’re going to make a lot of money, believe me!”
LEFT TO RIGHT: Bowler Asif, skipper Butt, bowler Amir, keeper Akmal
We can sensationally reveal Majeed identified young Pakistan captain Salman Butt as the ringleader of the band of cheats. He also named wicket keeper Kamran Akmal and boasted he had a total of SEVEN corrupt cricketers in his pocket, all banking huge sums from bookies and betting syndicates.
The scam, fuelled by greed, is a betrayal by the players not only of their sport but of their cricket-crazy homeland.
COUNTING IT OUT: Fixer tots cash up bundle by bundle
As millions back home in Pakistan struggle against hunger and disease amid devastating floods, the cheats were defiling the reputation of Lord’s and lining their own pockets.
In a meeting with our investigators puppet-master Majeed:
- BRAGGED that the scam is rife and future games against England this summer are already earmarked for cheating.
- CONFESSED his match-fixing round the world had netted customers MILLIONS.
- REVEALED how he oversees cheating by using no-balls, specifying how many runs will be scored or conceded in certain overs, with signals such as changing gloves to confirm the fix is on.
- ADMITTED he abuses his position as owner of non-league Croydon FC to launder his illicit gains.
At one stage Majeed told us our syndicate could make “absolutely millions, millions” by paying him up to £450,000 a time for info on matches, then placing bets on the fixedoutcome. And he tried to excuse the players’ shameful behaviour, claiming: “These poor boys need to. They’re paid peanuts.” Majeed said he had even opened Swiss bank accounts for them to hide their ill-gotten gains. We launched our investigation two weeks ago after a tip-off. The Pakistan side has long been dogged by match- fixing allegations. Only today has the full shocking extent been laid bare.
MOMENT THAT SHAMED GAME: Star bowler Amir delivers Friday’s promised no-ball
Property tycoon Majeed, 35, has a £1.8 million home in Surrey and is a familiar face at cricket grounds around the world. We infiltrated his criminal network posing as wealthy businessmen on the make.
Majeed turned up for our first meeting on Monday, August 16, at the Hilton in London’s Park Lane, dressed in jeans and a sweater. He immediately started bragging of his connections with the Pakistani team. “I manage ten of the players,” he told us. “I do all their affairs like contracts, sponsorship, marketing, everything. I work very closely with the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board).”
Our reporters told him they wanted to organise their own Twenty20 tournament in the Middle East. Majeed claimed he would be able to provide his players for the right fee. When our man assured Majeed the players would do well out of it, he immediately said with a wink: “I know what you’re talking about because I know what goes on!” Majeed then hinted at the extent of cheating in the game. . .
REPORTER: “If there’s two or three that are on for the other side, the betting side, then good luck – they’ll be really happy.”
MAJEED: “There’s more than two or three. Believe me. It’s already set up. That’s already there. I’m very wary speaking about this simply because I don’t know you guys. I’ve been dealing with these guys for seven years, okay? Who we deal with and how we deal with it is very, very important. This is the main thing. I’m only dealing with certain people. How we do it and what we do is very, very crucial.”
REPORTER: “You’re already dealing with another party on this matter? Give us some tips as well if you’ve got any. Happy to cut us in?”
MAJEED: “Yeah I’ll give you tips.”
REPORTER: “If there’s anything we need to know in the forthcoming match let me know. Happy to pay.”
Majeed said he was worried our men could be wearing tape recorders and he would check them out before going further.
IT’S A DEAL: Satisfied Majeed puts money back in case
Two days later at the Bombay Brasserie Indian restaurant in central London, Majeed told us we had begun to gain his trust. He had spent the day at the Oval where Pakistan bowled England out for 233 on the first day of the third Test. After a trusted source vouched for our credentials, Majeed relaxed and laid his cards on the table. . .
MAJEED: “I do feel that I can speak to you about this, okay? Now, yes. . . there is very big money in it.”
REPORTER: “There’s still? I know there was, but they clamped down on match fixing I heard.”
MAJEED: “They’ve toned down match fixing a lot, yeah. They’ve made it very, very difficult. These guys won’t deal with just anybody. The only reason they’ll deal with me is because they know I’m professional, they’ve known me for years.
“I’ve been doing it with them, the Pakistani team, for about 2½ years. And we’ve made masses and masses of money.” Later that night Majeed boasted how it was the players who got HIM into match-fixing. He told us: “The players would never tell anybody else. They were the ones who actually approached me about this. This is the beauty of it.
“I was friends with them for four, five years and then they said this happens. I said really?”
OVER: Majeed leaves with the cash that fixed Lord’s Test
Majeed then described how the betting scam operates. He reached into a carrier bag, pulled out a white BlackBerry phone and flicked through a series of messages.
“I deal with an Indian party,” he said. “They pay me for the information.” Then Majeed explained how many cricket bets are placed on what he called “brackets” – events happening in a group of 10 overs.
If players score well in the first three overs punters would be likely to bet on that continuing for the next seven. But if the fixed players then deliberately STOP scoring or slow down, anybody in on it can “make a killing”, said Majeed. The same happens with bowlers giving away runs or throwing no-balls.
Not only is Majeed’s information invaluable to syndicates involved in spread betting – where wagers are staked on a range of possible outcomes – it is also golddust for shady bookies looking to manipulate the odds in their favour.
The following night – Thursday August 19 – Majeed demanded £10,000 then revealed to us there would be two no-balls in the following day’s Oval play.
That fix was cancelled on the day. So was a promised maiden over by captain Salman Butt on the Saturday – final day of the Test England lost. But days later – with our extra £140,000 in his hands – he delivered the promised goods at Lord’s.
Last night a Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Following information from the News of the World we have today arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.”
Scotland Yard officers last night visited Lord’s and the Pakistan players’ London hotel. Police are set to speak to the players today and will liaise with officials from the International Cricket Commission and the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The man responsible for disciplinary repercussions is Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle, 51, who could impose fines or bans.
But in an extreme case such as this it is likely he will hand over to ICC chief Harron Lorgat to decide if the game should be abandoned.
Our team will throw two ODIs
HATED: Honest Shahid Afridi
CALLOUS Majeed revealed he was plotting for Pakistan to lose TWO of the One Day Internationals (ODIs) against England next month.
He said: "Boss I'm telling you, the timing you've come into. It's perfect because the one days and Twenty20s are about to start and we're going to be making a hell of a lot money."
Incredibly, he said he could guarantee Pakistan would LOSE two one-dayers.
He explained many players want Test skipper Salman Butt to remain captain for all matches, but the Pakistanis have drafted in veteran Shahid Afridi to lead the side for the one day internationals and Twenty20 matches. Majeed said: "A lot of the boys want to f*** up Afridi because he's trying to f*** up things for them.
"They all want Butt to be captain. They want to lose anyway.
"Let's say for example Twenty20, I'll tell you the bowlers, how many minimum runs they're going to concede. And the batsmen. I'm going to tell you how many, like say it was on the two opening batsmen, Salman and Kamal, for example, you've only got twenty overs, they're going to waste two overs, three overs.
"The Twenty20s are easiest. Then the bowlers as well, yeah, they will certainly give a certain amount of runs and they're going to be batting as well and give their wickets. We'll finalise a price for each one and we'll just take it off the balance. We'll take it off the 150 (grand) balance until we're square."
And he reassured: "Boss believe me, you are talking to the right people."
The cheats deliver
The three balls that will shake world of cricket
THEY are the three no-balls that will be recorded in the statistics books forever - and will be remembered for shaking cricket to its core.
Millions of fans who watched Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif send down the trio of deliveries over two days' play at Lord's, had no idea they were bowled as part of a match-rigging scam.
Incredibly, during live coverage, respected TV and radio pundits exclaimed to worldwide audiences how bad every one of the faked no-balls looked - little knowing they were ordered by money-grabbing fixer Mazhar Majeed, who just a day earlier had collected £150,000 from undercover News of the World reporters.
And it all played out like clockwork exactly as Majeed promised it would. He claimed the players had demanded we pay the cash as our entry ticket into an existing shady gambling syndicate based in India.
In return he revealed solid details of the three no-balls he'd planned for the Lord's Test. . .
MAJEED: "There's no risk, there's no signal. . . these three are definitely happening. They've all been organised, okay? So, the first ball of the third over of the innings, yeah.
"Asif and Amir are going to be bowling. Amir is to bowl the first over (meaning he will also bowl the third), yeah?
"Okay? Then the tenth, the last ball. . . sixth ball of the tenth over."
REPORTER: "The tenth over. Who's bowling it?"
MAJEED: "Asif will be bowling it."
Majeed then explained that the third no-ball would come in the first over that teen wonder boy Amir got to deliver to an England right-hander, after one of the opening two left-handers had been dismissed.
Just to convince us Amir was onside Majeed telephoned the young star at his hotel. "Are you sleeping f***er?" he asked crudely. Amir confirmed that's what he was trying to do.
"Ok, sleep," said Majeed. "We've spoken about everything before anyway. Ok, don't mind. You sleep'."
But when Amir prepared for his day's work at the 4th Test on Thursday morning, he was certainly awake to what was expected of him.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt strolled out to meet England skipper Andrew Strauss in the middle of the ground shortly before the weather-delayed toss at 1.10pm on the opening day of the test.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to put England in to bat.
Butt had his customary huddle with his team but bizarrely did not even bother to inspect the recently uncovered wicket like his opposite number Strauss. As predicted Butt put Amir and Asif on to open the bowling.
And, as promised, on the FIRST BALL of the THIRD OVER to England opening batsman Alastair Cook Amir overstepped the white line marking his bowling crease by a huge margin.
Umpire Billy Bowden immediately raised his arm to signal the no-ball at 1.56pm.
Pakistan's 18-year-old rising star had sealed cricket's shame on the pitch once illuminated by legends including WG Grace, Ian Botham and Don Bradman.
But the sly player brazenly tried to hide the truth, raking the spikes of his boots across the line and asking for sawdust to be put down as he falsely blamed the no-ball on loose footing.
Bemused Sky commentator Ian Botham exclaimed: "No-ball. Because of the one-dayers, you don't see that too often with the bowlers who play two forms of the game. They've got into the discipline of keeping behind that front line."
The BBC online commentary read: "Dirty great no-ball from Amir, that was fully two feet over."
Seven overs later, yet more disgrace was heaped on the game, as 27-year-old Asif also overstepped the crease on the LAST BALL of the TENTH OVER. He too went through the masquerade of calling for sawdust to dry the ground.
Former England captain Mike Atherton commented: "There's been a couple of biggish no-balls. He was over that front line by a good half-a-foot or so."
Play was abandoned due to bad light and rain at 5.45pm so the third no-ball promised by Majeed didn't happen.
But after play ended for the day Majeed smugly rang our reporter to brag. "You a bit more comfortable now?" he asked. "Told you. Once you showed your hand, I showed my hand, okay?"
Then he revealed how he had arranged another no-ball for the following day's play.
"Right, it's going to be Amir's third over and third ball," he said.
"It'll be his third over, not the third over of the game." He ended the call by reminding our man: "Boss, I'm telling you, you're dealing with the right person, you're not dealing with an idiot, all right?"
But on Friday morning Majeed contacted our man saying that he'd received a message from Amir.
Majeed said: "He's briefed up. He's just texted me now to say 'Shall I do it or not?' "
And Amir DID do it - despite getting off to a sensational start, taking three quick wickets in nine balls.
Commentators described him as being "on fire" as England wickets tumbled to his pace attack. Amir managed to skittle out England batsmen Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan without any of them scoring a single run. It was only the fifth time in history the third, fourth and fifth batsmen in an order had been dismissed for ducks. During the blitz, former West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding, commentating for Sky, said: "It's been Mohammad Amir's morning. He's made that ball talk."
His colleague Michael Atherton said: "Remarkable stuff this morning from Pakistan and in particular Mohammad Amir. Just 18 years of age. He's running in from the Pavilion End. He's like an old hand.
"He looks like he's going to get a wicket with every ball he bowls."
With Amir tearing through the batsmen, Majeed quickly contacted our man, warning that the promised no-ball might have to be cancelled and that we shouldn't place big bets on it. He said the captain might tell Amir to keep up the onslaught. "So much is happening out there at the moment," he added. Majeed was right - captain Salman Butt, who Majeed boasts is one of his players in the fixing scam - did have a quick word with Amir just before the THIRD BALL of the THIRD OVER.
Usually mid-over conversations between bowlers and captains would be about the placement of fielders and whether to make any changes.
On this occasion, no changes were made, prompting commentator Michael Holding to chip in: "A quick conference between captain and the bowler. Hasn't resulted in the field being changed. Not yet."
But there WAS a sudden change in Amir's form. As promised, he bowled and again placed his foot over the crease, into the banned area - a no-ball. The umpire had a word with Amir about the surprise delivery, pointing out how far over the line his foot had been.
On the TV replay, the side view showed he placed his foot at least eight inches past the line. It prompted bowling legend Michael Holding to exclaim: "How far over was that? Woh!"
Ian Botham added: "It's like net bowling" - referring to when bowlers don't try so hard when they are practising in the nets.
With his next ball Amir bowled a delivery that again caused problems for Jonathan Trott, with both commentators saying how good a ball it had been. Test Match Special listeners on BBC Radio 4 heard Jonathan Agnew and England legend Geoffrey Boycott recall how Amir had massively overstepped the crease the day before and called the delivery a "hostile ball". Agnew explained to listeners that Amir's boot was over the line "by a foot".
They then discussed the possibility that Amir could have done it on purpose in a bid to deliver the quicker ball closer to the batsman.
After the disgraceful cheating by Amir, Majeed rang back and told our man: "I'm not a joker, boss, okay? So you're confident?"
Grasping Majeed demanded yet another £10,000 payment. He said: "Try and get it to me four or five o'clock, yeah? Because I can give it to them as soon as they're finished, then that's done."
He explained how he was due to meet the team straight after close of play to accompany them to a charity dinner organised by the Pakistan Cricket Board. In an emotional interview after Friday's play on Friday, Amir hid his secret shame and told of his pride at bagging his first five-wicket haul at Lord's.
The young bowler, who made a big show of kneeling to kiss the hallowed turf on reaching the landmark, told Test Match Special: "These moments are for me good. At Lord's I wanted my name on the (honours) board and I did it."
He called the delivery that snared England's Alistair Cook - shortly before he carried out his third bent no-ball - the "most delightful wicket."
Ironically, the cheat said it was the best day of his career so far.
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