cricket betting scandalPakistan cricket players charged in gambling scandal
London, England (CNN) — Three Pakistani cricket players at the center of a gambling scandal have been charged with "various offenses" by the sport’s governing body, the International Cricket Council announced Thursday.
Team captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have all said they were innocent but have been provisionally suspended pending a decision on the charges, the council said.
"We will not tolerate corruption in cricket — simple as that," said the council’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat. "We must be decisive with such matters and if proven, these offenses carry serious penalties up to a life ban."
A fine could also be imposed as part of the punishment.
Lorgat cautioned that the players’ guilt has not been proven. "That is for the independent tribunal alone to decide," he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistani High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hassan told reporters after meeting with the players that he believes their claims of innocence.
"They have not been proven guilty," Hassan told a throng of reporters. "And until you are proven guilty, you are innocent."
A police investigation into the alleged scandal is continuing, but no further meeting with police or questioning of the men is scheduled, he said.
Hassan did, however, vow to take legal action to defend the players if necessary.
"I think we will go to the court of law to defend them," he said.
Eighteen-year-old Amir is the youngest-ever bowler to reach 50 Test wickets. He took six wickets — considered an impressive feat — against England in the Test on which the betting allegations are centered.
For such an exciting prospect, already hugely popular in his homeland, to be tarnished by a scandal like this has depressed many cricket fans in Pakistan.
Asif has already courted controversy in his career. He has tested positive for steroids twice, and soon after the second offense, he was caught with a recreational drug in his wallet at the Dubai airport and was kept in detention for three weeks.
The betting allegations emerged Sunday in the British tabloid News of the World, which reported that two Pakistan players deliberately bowled "no balls," or fouls, during their Test series with England in London last week. It said the alleged ringleader made 150,000 pounds ($232,800) in the scam.
England won the match at Lord’s Cricket Ground. It ended Sunday afternoon, after the scandal broke.
Hassan said Thursday it is possible the players are the victims of a setup, saying they have been "maligned by the media" and are the victims of "character assassination by the media."
"You have to investigate to find out whether they’ve been set up or not," he said. Referring to the News of the World — a newspaper known for its sensational headlines — he added, "What is the reputation of those people who have brought us this story?"
Team manager Yawar Saeed said London’s Metropolitan Police have already questioned him and the three players.
Several people have been arrested in connection with the case. The Met Police arrested a 35-year-old man late Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers and released him on bail Sunday, and customs officials arrested three people Sunday on suspicion of money laundering.
cricket betting scandalPakistan cricket players face police amid continued scandal
London, England (CNN) — British police Friday questioned three players from the Pakistani national cricket team at the center of an alleged betting scandal that has rocked the sport.
Their attorney, Elizabeth Robertson, said that Mohammed Amir, Mohammad Asif and team captain Salman Butt appeared at the Kilburn Police station voluntarily to answer questions.
"At no time were they placed under arrest. They were free to leave any time and they have answered all of the questions that were put to them and have been released without charge or conditions," Robertson said.
Metropolitan Police said that their investigation is not complete and that the three players could be called back for further questioning.
Police launched a criminal investigation after the British tabloid News of the World first reported the allegations Sunday. It claimed two players were involved in spot-fixing during Pakistan’s Test series with England last week.
Spot-fixing involves deliberately throwing parts of a game, rather than the whole match. The paper alleged the players deliberately bowled "no balls," or fouls, at specific points in the game and that the alleged ringleader pocketed 150,000 pounds (about $230,000) in the scam.
Cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council, provisionally suspended Amir, Asif and Butt on Thursday night and charged them with various offenses in the ICC’s anti-corruption code.
The ICC would not give details of the charges, but said they come from the code’s Article 2, which relates to fixing or influencing cricket matches, and to bribes and betting on the game.
Robertson said Pakistan’s cricket organization and the three players were cooperating with both the police and ICC investigations and would continue to do so.
"They look forward to a timely and satisfactory outcome," she said, adding that there would be no further comment.
Ronnie Flanagan, who heads the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, cautioned that the players have not been found guilty.
"We think we have arrived at a position where certainly players have a case to answer," Flanagan said at a news conference in London on Friday.
If found guilty, the players would face a possible lifetime ban, ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said.
The players may appeal the ICC’s decision.
The ICC has said it is in close contact with police. Lorgat told reporters he does not believe the incident reflects a more widespread problem, and Flanagan thanked the tabloid for exposing possible corruption.
"If these charges are proven, I congratulate what the News of the World has done in bringing that to light," he said.
Police already questioned the three players once this week, said team manager Yawar Saeed, who was also questioned.
cricket betting scandalPhala Phala saga： How the rebellion against Ramaphosa fumbled, stumbled and ultimately crumbled
With the ANC’s crucial elective conference just three days away, presidential hopeful Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma led a rebel group of ANC MPs in Parliament whose attempt to impeach President Cyril Ramaphosa ultimately crumbled under pressure.
Dissident ANC MP, Mervyn Dirks, was confident a brewing rebellion could see up to 42 ANC MPs vote in favour of a motion to continue with an impeachment inquiry into Ramaphosa over Phala Phala.
However, only five ANC MP’s went rogue, and the motion was defeated with 214 votes against 148 at a plenary of the National Assembly at the Cape Town City Hall on Tuesday.cricket betting scandalPhala Phala saga： How the rebellion against Ramaphosa fumbled, stumbled and ultimately crumbled
cricket betting scandalScandal Brownlow Betting Scandal
I like this bit in the article – ‘McLachlan went on to say that they are waiting for sigin off from Sportsbet CEO Barni Evans before being cricket betting scandalPhala Phala saga： How the rebellion against Ramaphosa fumbled, stumbled and ultimately crumbled able to announce the appointment of a new umpire’
(not really, but would anyone really be surprised????)
cricket betting scandalThe Australian ball tampering scandal everyone’s talking about, explained
Australian cricket has been rocked with a ball-tampering scandal. A piece of tape has brought down some of the sport’s biggest stars and sent shockwaves so monumental that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was forced to issue a statement. It’s being dubbed “#SandpaperGate,” and here’s how it all came about.
Locked in a close test match (the five-day version of the sport) against South Africa, Australia became desperate to gain an advantage. During a lunch break on Day 3, team leadership devised a plan to tamper with the cricket ball to influence the game.
Cameron Bancroft was given a piece of yellow tape, covered in debris from the field, as a makeshift piece of sandpaper. He used the gritty surface to scuff up the ball, changing how it would perform in the game. Bancroft attempted to hide the tape in his pants, and when questioned by an umpire he produced a cloth sunglasses case, saying he was simply wiping the ball.
On-field cameras caught the whole thing.
Unlike baseball, in test cricket the ball is only changed at the behest of the fielding team — and kept in play for a minimum of 80 overs (similar to innings). This means the ball is only changed every 480 bowls or so. Natural wear cricket betting scandalPhala Phala saga： How the rebellion against Ramaphosa fumbled, stumbled and ultimately crumbled on the ball produces different results and can be a legal tactical decision by a team captain.
Fast bowlers typically like balls when they’re as new as possible. The shiny, pristine surface allows them to get more speed off the pitch when it bounces. Then, as play wears on and the ball is scuffed up, a team transitions to its spin bowlers. They prefer the surface to be as worn as possible, creating more friction with the pitch at the point of contact — thereby making the ball move further when the bowler applies spin to the ball in the air.
Swing bowlers like the ball somewhere in the middle. If a ball wears unevenly during play, it changes how air travels over the ball in flight. A swing bowler wants to move the ball in flight (as opposed to a spin bowler who wants it to move after it contacts the ground), which means achieving uneven wear is the ideal.
Typical “swing” can be put on the ball regardless of how old it is and occurs shortly after the ball leaves the bowler’s hand, but “reverse swing” is late-breaking movement as the ball approaches the batsmen — and achievable when the ball wears on one side. Similar to a knuckle ball in baseball, it’s difficult to locate and very tough to hit. Australian captain Steve Smith noticed that reverse swing was giving South Africa a problem, so he called for the ball to be worn down using the tape to artificially allow the team to use it.
Initially Australia’s plan worked. Umpires accepted Bancroft’s claim he was just wiping the ball clean, which is legal, and did not change the ball or award a penalty. However, scrutiny intensified after the day of play, and then everything fell apart.
At first the Australian team held firm to their lie that they were only cleaning the ball, before Bancroft and Smith both admitted to the cheating.
Smith claimed responsibility for the cheating, saying team coaches were not aware. He admitted the actions weren’t “in the spirit of the game.”
Many public figures, including former Australian captain Michael Clarke, were in shock.
Turnbull spoke to reporters on the ball-tampering scandal.
“We all woke up this morning shocked and bitterly disappointed by the news from South Africa. It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating. After all, our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play. How can our team by engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief.
It’s their responsibility to deal with it but I have to say the whole nation who holds those who wear the baggy green up on a pedestal — about as high as you can get in Australia, higher than any politician that’s for sure — this is a shocking disappointment and it’s wrong and I look forward to Cricket Australia taking decisive action soon.”
On the final day, Smith and vice captain David Warner stepped down from the team before play began. It triggered a collapse and South Africa easily won.
Two bodies have overseen how punishments would be handed our. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket Australia, each handed out their own judgement on captain Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft (who tampered with the ball), and vice captain David Warner (who was part of the group that decided to cheat).
Smith: One match fine, One match suspension (ICC). One year suspension from international cricket, two year suspension from serving as Australia team captain (Cricket Australia).
Bancroft: One match fine (ICC). Two year suspension from serving as Australia team captain (Cricket Australia).
Warner: One match fine, One match suspension (ICC). One year suspension from international cricket, will not be considered for any future captaincy (Cricket Australia).
In addition, Australian coach Darren Lehmann resigned from the team. He was found innocent of any wrongdoing, but partially blamed himself for what happened.
“After viewing Steve and Cameron’s hurting, it’s only fair that I make this decision. I’m ultimately responsible for the culture of the team.”
Smith and Warner also stepped aside from the Indian Premier League, and were subsequently banned because of the ball tampering. The pair also lost numerous endorsements stemming from the cheating.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann explained why the incident was such a big deal:
“They have set themselves as this higher-than-high, pious team who set the benchmark for what is right and what is wrong in cricket, when everyone who has played against them knows it’s an absolute joke.”
Australia has named Tim Paine as the current captain, making him the 46th in the 142-year history of the team. It’s currently unclear who will be the new coach of the national team.