91Èȱ¬

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

On Comment 7: Youn49, you really believe its about India vs Pakistan? This is cricket man.. a sport. Not a war to have spies and double agents. Grow up. Guys like you need to stop behaving like cats drinking milk with their eyes closed.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I believe that Hansie took the fall for a few cricket players as he wouldn't name and shame. I hope that this will not happen here.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Like many, I tend to think that severe penalties should be handed out, if found guilty. What I don't understand is the ICC's approach to this. They have 6 days, in which witnesses, statements and evidence that is already in the public domain, will be scrutinised again. Why would it take this long to arrange?
If they want to send out a clear signal, then surely they should start by dealing with affairs more swiftly?

But more importantly, if any wrongdoing is discovered in this case, then I believe that the national board should be punished. They are responsible for the selection of players and the security arrangements surrounding them. If there was any wrongdoing, then the national board let it happen on their watch. They are responsible.

Banning a whole country from the game seems a bit like shooting ourselves in the foot, though. So I'd suggest that all board members and administrators should be immediately unrecognised by the ICC and all other boards and suspended from official activities within the sport. Yes, it´s rather lame and tame. But I think it´ll hit harder than expected.

Innocent until proven guilty, but is anyone really expecting anything other than an ICC whitewash?

Reputation and age are nothing to do with it, a crime is a crime.

3 no balls can change a match. A batsman who gets out from a no ball could go on to make a match changing innings, or could be dismissed on the 7th delivery, or the match could be won or lost by 3 runs.

I know these are potentially slim margins, but the possibility still stands. Any deliberate effort to change the legitimacy of any delivery can change a game of cricket.

I know this is about defrauding the bookies, which is an offence, but it's also about defrauding the supporters, the people who pay to watch the games at the ground or on the TV. Surely they deserve to see a competition where all are giving their best efforts to win.

Ban them if they are guilty. A cheat is a cheat.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I back you up completely LeeTUFC with regards to moderating issues, i dont really know what i said, i just put foreward my opinion on the matters at hand!

I agree that if found guilty, lengthly bans to both butt and asif. Butt because he was leading the side and like you said LeeTUFC, asif due to his past altercations. Amir could potentially get a less severe punishment as it appears he may have been led astray.

Lets just hope that cricket is the winner in all of this.

Shame that this case potentially detracts headlines from Englands fantastic result down under.

However, it's a serious issue and one the game needs to get under contol. For me, it's irrelevant that it was 'just three no balls' and that it didn't affect the outcome of the game. Firstly, the panel has to find that the bowlers deliberately bowled these no-balls under instruction from the captain or some outside party.

Should this be the case, the key thing in terms of censure for me is motivation. IF the no balls were bowled for financial gain by the bowlers, then they should be punished with a fine and lengthy ban. Effectively this sends out a message to the players that there is a real risk in getting involved even at such a seemingly innocuous level. In turn, this makes it harder for those outside the game to influence players, as risk outweighs reward. IF the panel find that the bowers bowled these no-balls under duress from the captain (i.e. bowl it or you're dropped), or with the knowledge of the captain (he is ultimately responsible for the conduct of his team) then Butt should be banned for longer. If they were under pressure from the fixers/bookies themselves (remember Haider fleeing the Pakistan tour last year claiming threats against himself and his family) then the ICC has a bigger problem as it's effectively a police matter. Although the players can (and should) still be banned I suspect many would accept the risk of a ban to ensure the safety of their families.....

What bothers me is why would any bookie accept a bet on something as precise as when a no ball is bowled. #18 - I'm certainly not bothered that anyone would be defrauding them - they obviously bring it on themselves, unless they too are in on the fraud.

@ 24:

Well, bookmaking in India is illegal, so it makes sense that there may well be some collusion. However, bookies will take a bet on almost any event with chance involved. I wager the legitimate bookies will think twice before offering odds on this sort thing in the future (was that ironic?).....but, where there is a potential to take someone's money I'm sure they'll give it a go.

Massive day for world cricket and the future of cricket
I hope the right decision will be made

What's the latest on Zulqarnain Haider? His allegations were much more serious than the bowling of three deliberate no-balls in a test match - they related to the fixing of the results of matches themselves.
Given the seriousness of Haider's claims, and the suggestions that the no-ball allegations were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to match-fixing in cricket, one hopes the ICC will make serious efforts to get to the bottom of this, and won't settle for making scapegoats of players caught in a newspaper-instigated sting.

The best way of stopping cricket match fixing is to just ignore it.

The acceptance of money by players for information, forecasts or for losing matches should be just accepted and ignored.

Yes ignore match-fixing and stop wasting police time and resources.

If it is recognised that the outcome of a match could be a function of not just the toss, the weather or the relative skills of the players, spot betting and match outcome betting will dry up, soon followed by bribes to players and the temptation to throw matches or bowl no balls or miss the stumps.

Whilst I was an undergraduate studying Probability I worked on Saturdays in a betting shop. I was wisely advised by the "turf accountant" never to bet on anything that could speak.

The moral is:

Don't bet on anything where the result can be managed by someone. Unless of course that someone is yourself.

And as for cricket match-fixing,

1) generate / maintain uncertainty in the match outcome and let it be assumed that the matches are fixed

2) nobody will bet if they believe in the possibility that matches are fixed against them

3) if nobody bets nobody will bribe players to fix matches

4) if there are no bribes then there will be no matches fixed.

5) problem solved by ignoring match-fixing not by dealing with it.

Warren EDWARDES

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

These are the people who damage sports for personal gains and therefore, if found guilty they must not be allowed to anywhere near a cricket field for a long time. So that by the time they finish their sentence no one would want to know them.

ICC should protect the sport

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

Bigot boy says "Once you accept this you begin to understand why countries like the USA and Australia focus on local sports and have large misgivings about internationally governed sports."

I am a huge Baseball fan but I'd be the first to say that MLB has not covered itself with glory with its governance of the game and the issue of drug abuse cheats within the game. The failure to hold regular unannounced drug tests and expunge the records of proven drug enhanced "heros" hardly suggests that sports that choose isolationism are any better at challenging cheats than worldwide sports like cricket.

28. At 8:47pm on 06 Jan 2011, wedwardes wrote:
The best way of stopping cricket match fixing is to just ignore it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

I think that people will always bet on sport and cricket cannot afford to ignore the damage that this does to the game. The administrators have to act. I do strongly believe that this goes far deeper than three players and a newspaper sting, and that some very unsavoury people are involved in sports fixing worldwide, but the ICC needs to run a full inquiry on what comes under their remit before giving their information to police and relevant authorities.

wedwardes - as professional sports' existence relies solely on its ability to attract an audience there's another logical conclusion to your suggestion of ignoring match fixing:
1) generate / maintain uncertainty in the match outcome and let it be assumed that the matches are fixed
2) nobody will bet if they believe in the possibility that matches are fixed against them
2) nobody will come to the matches
3) if nobody bets nobody will bribe players to fix matches
3) if nobody comes there will be no one to pay the players
4) if there are no bribes then there will be no matches fixed.
4) if there are no fans or players then there are no matches to fix.
5) problem solved by ignoring match-fixing not by dealing with it.
5) problem solved by ignoring match fixing the sport ceases to exist.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

David,

One wonders about not only the integrity of cricket, but also the integrity of the 91Èȱ¬ when it removes posts for no reason whatsoever.

I read all the opening comments and cant remember any of them giving anything but their own balanced opinion on the subject, mine included.

Could you care to explain your stance on this ?

Kind Regards,

Daniel

As post #28 highlights, it's sad that there seems to be so many people willing to take a bet that can be so easily fixed so that they will lose.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

seems clear
way of life

maybe the ICC should call Dawood Ibrahim as a witness ?

They cannot bowl noballs in x over unless the captain puts them on to bowl right ?
Lifetime ban from all forms of cricket for all of them found guilty as a warning to others.
Fine the country board also to make them more diligent in future.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.