آريا
08-29-2010, 07:30 AM
BBC NEWS
UK
29 August 2010 Last updated at 10:42 GMT
Arrest over Pakistan-England Test cricket 'betting scam'
The News of the World claims it gave £150,000 to a middleman who provided details about three no-balls which later took place when he predicted.
Scotland Yard said a 35-year-old man was being held on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.
Play resumed as planned at 1100BST, as Pakistan face a likely heavy defeat.
While there are no allegations that the result of the Test will be affected - or that England players had any knowledge of the alleged scam - BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said the integrity of the sport would be damaged.
"What it does do is make you wonder what is going on in front of you, that is the danger for any sport," he said.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed police officers had taken statements from four players.
He said: "Scotland Yard detectives visited the team hotel where they took statements from [captain] Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal."
A joint statement issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that no player nor team officials had "been arrested in relation to this incident".
It added: "As this is now subject to a police investigation neither ICC, ECB, PCB nor the ground authority, the MCC, will make any further comment."
The statement said the ICC, ECB, PCB, along with the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, were assisting the police with their inquiries.
The News of the World alleges that Pakistani players were secretly paid to deliberately bowl no-balls during the Test.
A no-ball occurs when a bowler oversteps the line behind which balls should be delivered.
The newspaper claims it was given pre-warning of three separate incidents by the Pakistan team.
It said members of its reporting team posed as businessmen and paid a middleman who told them exactly what would happen in the next day's play.
The allegations relate to three no-balls delivered by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif on Thursday and Friday.
Bill Akass, managing editor of the News of the World, said: "The idea that any activity during a game is prearranged for money undermines the integrity of an entire sport.
"I'm frankly astonished that this game is going ahead today."
BBC cricket commentator Phil Tufnell said everything about the current Test had been "brought into question".
'Uncomfortable questions'
Former PCB chairman Shehryar Khan said he was "deeply shocked" by the allegations, while Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, said the allegations could cover "a spectrum of possible offences".
The BBC's Andy Swiss said the allegations involved "very minor, very small details within the match that might seem ridiculously trivial to a lot of people".
Our correspondent added: "That sort of information is worth a huge amount of money in the betting world where you can put bets on the tiniest details within a cricket game.
"This is a difficult situation for cricket and there are going to be some uncomfortable questions for the Pakistan team when the match resumes."
Betting on when no-balls happen in cricket, or how many are made, is a form of gambling called spot-betting.
This refers to betting on certain events taking place in a game, rather than the actual result.
England look close to an innings victory in the Test at Lord's later after taking 14 Pakistan wickets on Saturday.
They are heading for a 3-1 victory in the four-match Test series.
Previous controversies
It is the second successive England-Pakistan Test series that has ended in controversy.
Four years ago, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled Pakistan had forfeited the fourth Test by failing to return to the field in time following the tea interval. The Pakistan team had been incensed about an earlier decision to penalise them five runs for alleged ball-tampering.
In July 2008, the ICC changed the result of the match from an England win by forfeit to a draw, but in February last year cricket's governing body made a U-turn and awarded a victory to England.
It is also the second time this year that the Pakistan team has found itself under investigation.
An inquiry was launched after they lost every international fixture on last winter's tour to Australia, resulting in four players being suspended by the PCB and three players fined.
Three of the bans were subsequently lifted, including indefinite bans on former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, and the fourth is currently subject to an appeal.
BBC News - Arrest over Pakistan-England Test cricket 'betting scam' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11122388)
UK
29 August 2010 Last updated at 10:42 GMT
Arrest over Pakistan-England Test cricket 'betting scam'
The News of the World claims it gave £150,000 to a middleman who provided details about three no-balls which later took place when he predicted.
Scotland Yard said a 35-year-old man was being held on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.
Play resumed as planned at 1100BST, as Pakistan face a likely heavy defeat.
While there are no allegations that the result of the Test will be affected - or that England players had any knowledge of the alleged scam - BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said the integrity of the sport would be damaged.
"What it does do is make you wonder what is going on in front of you, that is the danger for any sport," he said.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed police officers had taken statements from four players.
He said: "Scotland Yard detectives visited the team hotel where they took statements from [captain] Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal."
A joint statement issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that no player nor team officials had "been arrested in relation to this incident".
It added: "As this is now subject to a police investigation neither ICC, ECB, PCB nor the ground authority, the MCC, will make any further comment."
The statement said the ICC, ECB, PCB, along with the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, were assisting the police with their inquiries.
The News of the World alleges that Pakistani players were secretly paid to deliberately bowl no-balls during the Test.
A no-ball occurs when a bowler oversteps the line behind which balls should be delivered.
The newspaper claims it was given pre-warning of three separate incidents by the Pakistan team.
It said members of its reporting team posed as businessmen and paid a middleman who told them exactly what would happen in the next day's play.
The allegations relate to three no-balls delivered by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif on Thursday and Friday.
Bill Akass, managing editor of the News of the World, said: "The idea that any activity during a game is prearranged for money undermines the integrity of an entire sport.
"I'm frankly astonished that this game is going ahead today."
BBC cricket commentator Phil Tufnell said everything about the current Test had been "brought into question".
'Uncomfortable questions'
Former PCB chairman Shehryar Khan said he was "deeply shocked" by the allegations, while Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, said the allegations could cover "a spectrum of possible offences".
The BBC's Andy Swiss said the allegations involved "very minor, very small details within the match that might seem ridiculously trivial to a lot of people".
Our correspondent added: "That sort of information is worth a huge amount of money in the betting world where you can put bets on the tiniest details within a cricket game.
"This is a difficult situation for cricket and there are going to be some uncomfortable questions for the Pakistan team when the match resumes."
Betting on when no-balls happen in cricket, or how many are made, is a form of gambling called spot-betting.
This refers to betting on certain events taking place in a game, rather than the actual result.
England look close to an innings victory in the Test at Lord's later after taking 14 Pakistan wickets on Saturday.
They are heading for a 3-1 victory in the four-match Test series.
Previous controversies
It is the second successive England-Pakistan Test series that has ended in controversy.
Four years ago, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove ruled Pakistan had forfeited the fourth Test by failing to return to the field in time following the tea interval. The Pakistan team had been incensed about an earlier decision to penalise them five runs for alleged ball-tampering.
In July 2008, the ICC changed the result of the match from an England win by forfeit to a draw, but in February last year cricket's governing body made a U-turn and awarded a victory to England.
It is also the second time this year that the Pakistan team has found itself under investigation.
An inquiry was launched after they lost every international fixture on last winter's tour to Australia, resulting in four players being suspended by the PCB and three players fined.
Three of the bans were subsequently lifted, including indefinite bans on former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, and the fourth is currently subject to an appeal.
BBC News - Arrest over Pakistan-England Test cricket 'betting scam' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11122388)