Akram Retires Amid Scandal

Mr SS

This is abosolutely ridiculous. This is nothing but more ``petty politics``. The present PCB makes the allegation and the former CEO PCB Abbassi denies it. His article has absolutely no substance. He writes off the whole thing as ``crowds getting emotional``.

How does he chose to refute Amir Sohails`s and Rashid Latif`s allegations ? Remember both these players were removed from the team (thus harming their careers at a crucial point) for ``disciplinary reasons``.

How does he chose to refute Shane Warne`s, Tim May`s and Border(not sure) allegations ?

Look there is no smoke unless there is a fire. I am not saying I know what it is. But betting goes on in every game throughout the world. But here superstars like Wasim Akram`s careers are at stake. He himself makes statements which allude to the fact that it is the PCB vs players who belong to the Imran click vs players who are not in Imrans click. He sums it all up as ``petty rivalries`` which is a lot more believable than this Abbassi character.

For heavens sake, leave communilsm, religion and country petty wars out of Cricket. Keep it away from the ``beatiful game``. The whole thing about crowds being unruly towards Pakistani players in India. When is the last time you have been to an Indo-Pak game (regular not even a WC game) in pakistan. THe whole Indian sub-continent quom is the problem. People like Abbassi get into the game when their team wins. The crowds are so big and they get so unruly that no security is enough. As a result, India and pakistan cannot play in India or Pakistan anymore. THey have to go to places like Canada where the security guard to spectator ratio is 1:1.

As far as, crowd harrasment is concerned this happens everywhere and has nothing to with MATCH FIXING. Even players abuse each other. I am not supporting it but it is reality. I could go into how in an England Indo-Pak charity game for Imrans Cancer hosp. fans set the stadium on fire when Pak started losing. I could talk about how in the Dhaka final Ganguly , Azhar were assaulted with bottles, the former getting a wound on his head. Fortunately, most players who reach this level have enough composure to handle it. Afterall, handling pressure is a great skill in cricket (like any other game).

The problem with the likes of Abbassi (and every band wagoning sports fan who has never played a game themselves) is they need to learn how to lose gracefully. Most players (barring Inzamam in regards to his bat slinging last year in Toronto) are far beyond all this bullshit. People like Mr. Abbassi who look for excuses when they lose, need to go back to primary school and learn some lessons in the dignity of losing. They should start by playing some games themselves and maybe they will realize that one team always loses.

LEAVE ``THE BEAUTIFUL GAME`` alone.

Good luck Wasim. Go get these politicizing wanks out your way aur tu Cricket main apnaa muqaam paidaa kar.

regards

RanaRansher

The following news item elaborates the saga quite well.



Abbasi denies involvement of cricketers in match-fixing From/By Jalilur Rehman

LAHORE: Former Chief Executive, Pakistan Cricket Board Arif Ali Khan Abbasi has denied indulgence of Saleem Malik, Wasim Akram, Ijaz Ahmed and others in match-fixing or betting adding that Malik had already been cleared from such allegations.

In his statement before the one-man inquiry commission headed by Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum of the Lahore High Court, Abbasi deposed that the allegations against Wasim Akram that he deliberately avoided playing in India through an injury was false as before proceeding to India Wasim was having a bandaged arm and rib cage.

The Commission recorded Abbasi`s statement in the chambers owing to rush of public in the courtroom. He lamented that it has become a trend these days that every time Pakistan wins it is alleged by the management that the opposition was weak and when Pakistan loses, the public terms it as a fixed encounter. He suggested that the Board be disbanded and an ad hoc committee be appointed. The Inquiry Commission recorded his statement in the presence of Ali Sibtain Fazli, legal adviser to PCB.

Following is the text of Abbasi`s statement:

Arif Abbasi stated that the rumours about match fixing and betting started for the first time in 1979 when Pakistan toured India. Asif Iqbal and Majid Khan were captain and vice-captain respectively. There were considerable rumours about betting. He quoted three instances -- one of Bombay when on the second day of the Test match the wicket was found to be wet under the

covers and the players had refused to play but Asif Iqbal agreed to continue playing and Pakistan lost the match. The second instance was of Madras where again the team lost which was on the basis if toss. The bet was as to who would win the toss and Asif Iqbal is stated to have

scooped the tossed coin in mid air and informed the Indian captain that the latter had won the toss. The third instance occurred in Calcutta when the bet was as to who would take the lead in first innings. Pakistan were cruising towards first innings lead when suddenly the captain declared the innings and the India were left with a lead. Here too Pakistan lost the match. He said all that came to light in Sharjah when a reporter, by the name of Arif Ali, gave an interview to BBC and all these allegations were

made against Asif Iqbal. He further stated that thereafter there were no rumours or allegations regarding gambling until the year 1994 other than some whispering.

In 1994 he gave a detailed account of some other tours Pakistan had undertaken under the captainship of Saleem Malik to New Zealand and Zimbabwe. The New Zealand tour was success but whispering campaign had started. He also mentioned the Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka, where Pakistan won the series but Intikhab Alam had reported that Basit Ali had confessed before him that he indulged in match-fixing but no report in this regard was submitted by him. In particular, Abbasi talked Australia`s tour of Pakistan in which Pakistan won the first match while the other two were drawn. He said the tour ended on a happy note and that there is no mention of any match-fixing etc. Although David Richards, chief executive, ICC, the President of ACB and many others were present but four or five months later, he got a call from Australia from a very senior journalist by the name of Wilkins that he was breaking the news in Australia that three of the players namely Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and Tim May had signed the affidavits accusing Pakistani captain of trying to bribe them to lose the first match in Karachi. He stated that this match was won by Pakistan in any case. It was on these allegations that the then ad hoc committee headed by Javed Burki suspended Saleem Malik, issued him a show-cause notice. The ad hoc committee was suspended in 1995 and thereafter he became the chief executive of PCB. Thereafter, he asked Javed Burki to give him whatever information he had. He discussed the matter with his legal advisors and Zafar Altaf and appointed Fakharuddin G. Ebrahim with a free mandate to inquire into the matter. Mr Ebrahim held a detailed inquiry and found Malik not guilty of the charges. The action of PCB was praised in a press conference by the ICC chairman and also by the Australian Cricket Board. He also produced various documents that were relevant to his statement and said he was sorry the state to which the Pakistan Cricket Board had come today. Mr Abbasi further said: ``during my tenure I never came across any proof of any player including Wasim Akram, Saleem Malik and Ijaz Ahmed indulging in match-fixing or betting allegations barring whispering campaigns without any substance. In my opinion the allegations about the match-fixing during the world cup in Bangalore is not correct and is without any substance. Pakista was was playing there under pressure. I had a telephone call with Bangalore Cricket Association telling them that we require proper practicing wickets and they assured that this would be provided. Later on, I was told that there was only semblance of wicket that was provided to Pakistan.

The players were harassed and even a ball was thrown at Aamer Sohail who received it on his back and no attempt was made to prevent or apprehended such people who were indulging in it. During the match players were subjected to constant abuse and missiles in the form of glass bottles filled with water were flung at those who were fielding at the boundary. The major recipients of those missiles were Javed Miandad and Saleem Malik. Pakistan`s Ambassador to India Mr Riaz Khokhar who was a witness to these proceedings told me about the abusive language that was being hurled at the Pakistani team. He also told me of his conversation with the governor of that province in which Mr Khokhar asked the governor whether this was a display of secularisms and tolerance. He also told me that the governor left the proceedings in disgust. The match itself was practically won by Pakistan but because of these pressures the middle order collapsed because according to again Intikhab Alam the players were too tense and the middle order failed to play on a very small requirement that was left by the performance given by Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar.

The allegations against Wasim Akram that he deliberately faked an injury in order to void playing in India is false. Before going to India Wasim Akram was having bandaged arm and rib cage. Dr. Kiesel told me that there was good chance that Wasim Akram would be able to play and he would give his best attention to him. On returning from India Dr Kiesel told me that in spite of much treatment Wasim Akram`s bowling arm was still not coming up to expectations and he did not think he was in fit state to play in spite of pain-killer injections that doctor had given to him. This has been the trend of the people these days that every time Pakistan wins it is alleged by the management that the opposition was weak and every time Pakistan loses it is alleged that Pakistan has thrown the match. I did not see any praise for the Pakistan team when it won the world series under the captaincy of Wasim Akram; no praise was showered when he beat the West Indies by three-nil which had never been done in 72 years by any team anywhere in the world.

I did not see any praise being showered on Pakistan team or Wasim Akram when it won Singer Cup in Sharjah. Pakistan team was No. 1 in the world and five players were in the top ten. Today it does not enjoy this position and nobody is questioning the management. Is it the management which fixes the matches? Why was Aamer Sohail banned? Why was Wasim Akram harassed? Why was Rashid Latif banned? Why was Saleem Malik kept out? Why was Ijaz told that this was the last match he had played? Why was Mushtaq Ahmed kept out? Why was Waqar Younis kept out? These all questions require to be answered by the management.

Fareshteh Gati-Aslam wrote a libel article aginst the players. Rameez Raja made insinuations in the press and no action is taken. The Board is supposed to take action against the people to protect the players. It is the management of Pakistan Cricket Board which is responsible for the decay and decline in the standard of Pakistan team. I have, in my file, posed certain questions which require answers by those at the helm of affairs of Pakistan Cricket Board.

Out of the world best players like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saleem Malik, Aamer Sohail, Rashid Latif and Saqlain Mushtaq had been kept out of cricket at some time or the other by the management without any justification though all of them are world class players and ranking amongst the best.

Cricket info today reports that Akram has denied that he will retire. What is the real story ? Wasim Akram has been making statements like this for a while now. He should realize that this ploy of ``dhamkis`` don`t really work.

Bottom line is that at 32, he is possibly the worlds best bowler today and has a lot of cricket left in him. (He just recently created havoc with a 5 wicket haul followed by a 150+ run stint with the bat for lancashire)

Also today Amir Sohail is captain. He is the one who made some of these allegations and was thrown out of the team for it. Today Salim malik and Ijaz Ahmed are both playing on the same team under Sohail while the PCB issues bans for Salim and Ijaz. They have also issued arrest warrants for Rameez Raja who happens to be a guest commentator watching the same games !!

Anarchy in the realm of Pakistan cricket. Unfortunate for the game.

regards

RanaRansher

Where have you gone, Khan saahib

A nation turns its lonely eyes to you...