The Spotfixing Verdict

August 21, 2010 – The day the cricketing world was shaken up with following edition of the “News of the World” paper.

In the immediate aftermath of the Lords Test, the trio of Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir was dropped from the Pakistan team and later banned by the ICC. But this wasn’t the worse to come for the trio as an year later a jury found them guilty and gave them prison terms of varying lengths.

The first thought on hearing of the outcome of the case was that just punishment had been meted out to the guilty party. The spot fixing scam had left a sense of betrayal. It was weird to imagine to what extent people were going to make money. For the players it must have been an easy option. Take money on the side, bowl a couple of no-balls (which aren’t an oddity by themselves) at fixed points. During this they could still be giving their best for the country as well. I wondered there were people who actually bet on this kind of stuff. And the sums were large enough to be able to buy off the players. All this is still beyond belief.

The whole sequence of events is full of ironies

The whole saga was brought to light not by any anti-corruption agencies, ICC or government bodies but by a now-defunct newspaper which had to be closed down due its unethical ways of getting information.

Mohammed Amir actually bowled one of the better fast bowling spells in recent times. His no-ball was part of a spell in which he took the wickets of Cook, Pietersen, Collingwood, Morgan, Prior and Swann. Showing that except for the no ball he bowled his best for his country.

Salman Butt captained Pakistan to 2 test victories including the first one against Australia in around 15 years. It seemed Pakistan had found some stability when the scandal broke out. The irony of life that his son was born the day he was handed a prison sentence.

Mohammed Asif was the one who had talent, and has taken extra-ordinary measures to blow it away. Drugs scandal, physical fights with team mates and finally the spot-fixing case. Also it turns out that he was paid more than others to ensure that he doesn’t change over to a rival spot-fixing gang.

The verdict has made a few things clear.

• If you are caught fixing you are not just banned from the game, you are jailed as well. At least in England. Hopefully this would set some deterrent.
• There are more names involved here which haven’t yet come out. Comments regarding Asif certainly seem to suggest that.

Hopefully cricket is cleaner now, at least I would like to believe so, though the eveidence may suggest otherwise. But this is only the tip. Every allegation has to be thoroughly investigated. And the concerned should have immediate life bans set on them. Otherwise any odd incident would be looked at it in a different light.

Nishant Kumar for DieHard Cricket Fans
Follow Nishant on Twitter @NishantSKumar

Thank You Zimbabwe, For Helping Save Test Cricket

Everybody likes an underdog. The David vs Goliath battle inherits a unique charm about it, and with all the long years of turmoil and suffering that Zimbabwean cricket has been going through, it seems the corner has been finally turned. New heroes are emerging, and none more so than Brendan Taylor, who at still only 25 years of age has a long and prosperous haul ahead of him. Sample this for a Bradman-esque series:

• Two T20s – 50* & 1 (the only failure)
• Three ODIs – 128*, 107* & 75
• Only Test Match – 50 & 117

Yes it was against New Zealand, a truly toothless bowling unit. However he is fast becoming a talisman for Zimbabwe, the next generation Heath Streak, and good luck to him as well.
However the key point of this post is not a tribute to Taylor, it is a tribute to the Zimbabwean attitude on the fifth day. On day five the target was 366 runs, sitting at 61/2 overnight. The conservative or dare I say sensible approach would have been to enter Dravid mode and bat out the day seeking an honorable draw. We saw some insipid behavior from the (at the time) world champions India in the West Indies this year, when they refused to pursue asimple run chase in the name of ‘safety’. That match flopped and died.
But on this day, there was none of that fluff, the heart of Test cricket was re-invigorated, injected with an air of enthusiasm and unabashed optimism. Zimbabwe went for it, and in fact wrestled the upper hand at one stage. New Zealand were nervous as Taylor went about carving the attack, letting everyone know that they will not lie down, and that the only possible results were a famous victory or a heroic loss. With the able help of Tatenda Taibu, they were within 100 runs of touching distance.

Looks like we'll have to skip that early shower. © AFP

New Zealand had to squeeze every ounce of bowling ability they had to stop them. The result was a loss by a nerve racking 34 runs on paper, and a series lost 1:0. But the true result was much more than that. It was a sign that some teams are willing to play for the win and give us spectators what we deserve. It was a revival of the cricket format that faces intense scrutiny for being the dullest form of all.
It was proof that the number ten cricketing nation is finally making a comeback.
Contributed by : Varun Prasad
Varun’s blog : The Cricket Musings

India pave the way for a Test revival barring the odd Srikkanth Howler

India finally witnessed some cricketing success after Dhoni and his men pummeled England to a 5-0 defeat in the One Day International Series. The series was played in India and the result really reflected how each team was the “King” only in his own kingdom. India’s 5-0 rout was touted as a payback to the 7-0 whitewash that the three lions dished out to Dhoni’s men in England. Every sensible cricket follower knew though, that the win in India certainly did not nullify the woeful result in England for the men in blue.

The one factor that outweighed England’s victories over India was the fact that the English absolutely thwarted India in the longest and most challenging format of the game – Test cricket. India will surely be aware of the fact that they produced an absolute shocker in England and they will be desperate to make amends when West Indies tours India. What’s more is that the men in blue will look to use the Test series against West Indies as a litmus test for the upcoming tour of Australia. The squad chosen by Kris Srikkanth for the series against West Indies certainly re-instantiates that fact, however, as has become the norm Srikkanth has slipped in the odd howler.

No prizes for guessing who the howler is. With a phenomenal record of 18 wickets at an average of 44.66 this experienced campaigner has played a total of 10 whole first class matches. Wow! Now isn’t that some experience. Really for a player to walk into a Test side of a nation that hails itself as the 3rd best in the world after playing just 10 first class matches is absolutely bizarre and sets a precedent that is downright shameful. To make matters more complicated the bowler has also been chosen at the back of a rather lackluster bowling performance that wielded figures of 0/65 and 2/49 in the Irani Cup match against Rajasthan. Sharma is not known to be a big turner of the ball nor has he produced magical results in the 10 first class matches that he has played, so why then does he deserve a place in the squad? The more one tries to reason his selection, the dizzier the head gets. Certainly Kris Srikkanth does not make it into the famed “Knowledgeable Chennai Crowd” with this selection.

Despite the odd shocker there are a few positives that can be drawn out from the squad selected. Ajinkya Rahane is one such positive who has been rewarded for his consistency at the top of the order in ODIs and has been given a spot in the Test squad. What this has also done is that it has sent out a strong message to Abhinav Mukund who has been dropped to make way for Rahane and that message quite clearly says- perform or else!

The message has not just gone out to young Mukund though, as Harbhajan Singh too has been dropped after a poor showing in England and really owing to a poor showing in recent times that was highlighted by his inability to pick up wickets. Even Suresh Raina has been sidelined from Test cricket and has been replaced by the in-form and more technically equipped Virat Kohli. The biggest positive surely is the return of key players, all of them fit mind you, like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.

One thing that stands out from the selection is that the men in charge have certainly kept the Australian tour in mind. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron have been drafted in to the Test squad set to play West Indies. This move clearly signifies that the selectors are interested in their pace, a factor that could prove crucial in Australia and a factor that India generally has been devoid of. Praveen Kumar has been given the much needed rest he deserves while Pragyan Ojha has finally been rewarded for some good performances in the English County and the domestic circuit with a place in the side. R.Ashwin and Ishant Sharma too have been included.

It will be interesting to see how many chances Yadav and Aaron are given. India will be playing on tracks that offer spin and quite naturally will be tempted to go in with two spinners and Ishant allowing only one of the young speedsters to get a look in. Rahane too will get limited opportunities as the pair of Sehwag and Gambhir will surely open. Apart from the one howler the selection does look to be one that has been based on performance and the team looks balanced. This side should be good enough to overpower the men from the Caribbean and it will also be interesting to see how the inexperienced Indian bowling attack fares.

Squad for 1st Test: M S Dhoni (capt & wk), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Varun Aaron, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma

Shashreek Roy for DieHard Cricket Fans
Follow Shashreek on Twitter @shashreek

Cheats Never Prosper….Hopefully!

Mother always told me “cheats never prosper”, and yesterday in Southwark Crown Court, Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif learnt that lesson the hard way.

Guilty of cheating and accepting corrupt payments the two, along with young Mohammed Amir, who pleaded guilty to the same charges before this trail started, have reminded us all of the perils of corruption in professional sport.

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the whole case was how orchestrated and widespread this particular fixing racket allegedly was, with Mazhar Majeed, the 3 players agent, supposedly the ring-leader, taking requests to fix aspects of test matches that Pakistan played against Australia and England during the summer of 2010, from clients all over the world.

Requests that were placed as casually as social plans are made between friends, Majeed seemingly had control of half the Pakistani team, with Kamran Akmal and Waheb Riaz also implicated by evidence deemed inadmissible for this trial.

This trial centred on the bowling of three no balls, but this could potentially be a small drop in a rather large and murky ocean, if the other evidence now in circulation is to be believed.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has spoken since the verdicts were handed down of his concern around suspicious events that occurred whilst he was still playing. This trial has resulted in 3 convictions, but there are almost certainly more skeletons in the cupboard.

Nick Hoult, cricket writer for the Telegraph newspaper and present in court throughout the trial has since written about evidence, text messages, from and to Majeed, talking about fixing set periods of play (“brackets”) during test matches last summer. It is alleged that the requests from clients would go on to determine who would bowl for Pakistan and when, and how many runs they would concede off their own bowling.

If this was not delivered to order, Majeed would get complaints from angry punters – the game merely a vehicle to facilitate a book of illegal orders, the ebb and flow of test match cricket reduced to inconsequential farce.

How, if these additional allegations are true, could then Pakistan captain Butt focus on setting fields and building pressure on batsmen to take wickets whilst at the same time remembering how many runs were required from specific overs in a bracket to facilitate his agents orders?

This is a major moment for the future of all forms of cricket. Illegal betting isn’t just restricted to test matches, T20 cricket has spot betting too, and given the size of the enterprise that is the IPL for example, we would be foolish to believe other forms of cricket are immune to corruption.

The ICC need to make a stand on this immediately. The News Of The World brought evidence of this practice out of the shadows and onto crickets main agenda, and the authorities in the UK have built a case, the effect of which will reverberate around the cricketing world, but now the ICC has to continue to investigate suspicious patterns in betting and on-field activities, and hand down the most severe penalties to anyone found guilty.

But players need to take responsibility too. Salman Butt has earned £1.7mm from playing cricket over the past few years. It’s not a bad wage, one that he surely could have survived on without plunging into the depths of an illegal spot-fixing syndicate.

I read this morning how Mohammed Amir had terrorised the England batting lineup last summer, taking 19 wickets from 4 test matches played. He was a revelation and was made Pakistan’s man of the series for his efforts.

The waste of talent in his case in particular is extraordinary, and perhaps the best we can hope for is that he returns to cricket one day a reformed character, realising his potential as an exceptional bowler whilst at the same time educating young cricketers against the dangers of getting involved in the illegal spot-fixing under-world.

It may take a role model like Amir to fully deter young players from ever doing something as greedy and foolish as this in the future.

Tom Huelin for DieHard Cricket Fans
Follow Tom on Twitter @tomhue1

India vs England: The good, the bad, and the slightly unattractive

Personally, I love my metaphors on a plate.

Apparently, we have been avenged.

For me, it’s only close to 30% done – because Tests do matter that much.

But I’ll take the 5-0, mostly because it was fun to watch the English team constantly complain about the cold dish they were being served. (See picture above)

Anyway, here’s what we learned from this series:

• Even if you hate Ravindra Jadeja (which you probably do), you have to admit that he really has worked hard, and is now the ideal all-round option for India, given the lack of Irfan Pathan other options. He was the highest wicket-taker in the series, with 11, and an average of 17. With the bat, he averaged 37 from 3 innings with a good lower-order strike-rate of 110. He isn’t going to single-handedly win you one in fifteen games like Yusuf Pathan, but he’s pretty steady. For now.
• Ashwin, unlike Harbhajan, takes wickets. One Challenger Trophy won’t save you, Bhaj.
• Selection is still weird. Why on earth would you have Rahane open, when there’s no way he can bat in the top 3 in a full-strength XI? He did well enough, but from his innings of 91, he looks like a much better middle-order batsman to me.
• Take Vinay Kumar’s 4-30 away, and in the four other games he gave away 150 runs in 24 overs, taking just 2 wickets. Really shouldn’t be a regular in the side.
• Umesh Yadav was erratic too, but his pace was clearly an asset at several points in the series. I’d keep him around. And what a great debut for Varun Aaron!
• The world’s #1 spinner fails at the home of spin? What’s that about?Swann took only 2 wickets at 95.5, conceding 5.3 rpo.
• It’s all #trottsfault, for scoring 202 runs at 50.5, at a strike rate a shade under 80.
• Virat Kohli (270 runs @90) doesn’t know what ugly batting is. Dhoni(212 runs, not dismissed), on the other hand, knows it better than anyone else, and excels at it.
• Parthiv Patel had a rare bad series since his comeback, but no one cares since he’s just a stop-gap opener, like Dinesh Karthik before him. This can’t happen to Rahane, which, again, is why he should be in the middle-order. Unless someone retires from ODIs soon.
• Do English fans feel the same way about Dernbach as I do about Vinay Kumar?
  Took me five minutes just to decide whether to put the comma after "bitch".

Series against Windies coming soon, I’ll be back.

Contributed by DHCF Rishabh Bablani
Rishabh’s personal blog

Blackouts, Whitewashes and Red Faces, England’s One Day Tour of India

Perhaps it was an omen? As the five-match One Day International series between India and England kicked off at Hyderabad on October 14th, Sky Sports were forbidden from broadcasting the game by the BCCI. Normal service was thankfully resumed shortly thereafter, much to the relief of the England fans watching back at home.

At that stage of course optimism was still rife that England could compete in the series, making up for a wretched record in India of only 1 win from their previous 13 matches. Hell, some of us even thought a series win was possible!

Ah the innocence of wild optimism…

India were 129 for 4 batting first at Hyderabad and at one stage England felt they were in with a chance. But then Mahendra Dhoni came in and scored 87 runs off 70 balls including 10 fours and 1 six, all during the supposedly slower “middle overs”.

It’s not just that Dhoni is an incredible finisher; it’s that he can do so on any type of wicket, and at any stage of the match. He played well in England during the summer, apart from Rahul Dravid India’s best player all tour, and he’s been even better back home.

England could do worse than try to emulate Dhoni in their search for a credible wicketkeeper-batsman rather than looking for the next Adam Gilchrist, as has been their want of late.

Craig Kieswetter’s wicket-keeping was erratic and inconsistent this series, taking stunners and dropping dollies in equal measure, but given the explosive nature of his batting, (seldom seen on this tour though to be fair), it is likely he will be given another chance.

In truth though, all of England’s batsmen struggled. Too many starts were not converted and as a result England only batted out their allotted 50 overs once in 5 matches. That simply isn’t good enough in One Day cricket.

Eoin Morgan is England’s best limited overs batsman, particularly when it comes to scoring aggressively against spin, and his absence was sorely missed in India. All of England’s batsmen struggled to keep the runs coming when India’s spinners came on, often giving their wickets away when trying to force the issue. The likes of Ravi Bopara may struggle to come back from this series, failing again to prove that he’s quite up to this level of cricket.

England also failed to embrace spin in their bowling attack. Promising young leg-spinner Scott Borthwick was in India but his only appearance came when replacing Graeme Swann in Mumbai, the series already dead and buried, rather than being picked to bowl in tandem with Swann, which would have been a much braver and more aggressive move on sub-continent wickets.

You can’t pick a spinner just to make up the numbers but if England didn’t think Borthwick was ready for India, why didn’t they take Monty Panesar instead, who at least has the experience to cope with the pressure of playing in front of India’s vociferous fans. Either way, playing two competitive spinners is crucial if you are going to restrict runs and take wickets in India.

Another man sorely missed was Stuart Broad, and perhaps if he had been in India, England would have been more inclined to bowl a second full-time spinner. His inclusion, possibly at the expense of Samit Patel, could have allowed Borthwick to play without having a detrimental effect on England’s batting lineup.

Of course we have to offset the disappointment of this series with the “bigger picture” and that of course comes in the shape of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand 2015. England will still fancy their chances there on the harder, bouncier wickets, but England’s One Day form down under wasn’t much better in January, losing 6-1 against Australia.

The back drop to that series of course was that England had won the Ashes earlier on that tour, and therein lies the biggest obstacle to England’s success of in One Day cricket; their obsession with test cricket.

Domestic cricket in England is set up to produce successful test match players, and obviously we have seen the success of that policy over the past 12 months.

However as a result, One Day cricket comes second. Limited overs County Cricket is still 40-overs-a-side and that immediately puts England at a disadvantage when it comes to the international scene. The middle overs that England failed to convert successfully in India are exactly the part of the game they miss out on when playing domestically. This needs to change if England are to compete in 50 overs international cricket.

Despite 2011 being an incredibly successful year for English cricket generally, this side will return home from India disappointed. 2015 is a long way off, but England will need all of that time to ensure they are competitive at the next World Cup, otherwise there could be a few more England players with red faces in 2015.

Tom Huelin for DieHard Cricket Fans
Follow Tom on Twitter @tomhue1