LONDON: As the Pakistan team bus left Lord’s on Sunday afternoon, a handful of spectators, almost all Pakistanis, pelted it with rotten tomatoes.
It was the same venue where they had danced and sang in jubilation when Pakistan lifted the World Twenty20 trophy last summer.
But Lord’s painted a completely different picture on Sunday for Pakistan, who saw seven of their players including Salman Butt, the Test captain, accused of having links with match-fixers. Hours after the allegations made in a cover story by British tabloid News of the World, Pakistan slumped to their worst ever Test defeat — by an innings and 225 runs — losing the four-Test series 1-3.
But that result seemed irrelevant on a crazy day as rumours circulated here that Scotland Yard officials, might make some arrests from within the Pakistan team. It all began on Saturday night when an England-based Pakistan player agent was arrested was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.
Mazhar Majeed, 35, told the News of the World that Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif would deliver no-balls in the Lord’s Test and they did at exactly the nominated time. He also claimed to have close links to Pakistan captain Salman Butt, describing his as the ring leader, and his deputy Kamran Akmal.
Scotland Yard officials visited the Pakistan team hotel in Swiss Cottage on Saturday evening, searched the rooms of Butt, Amir and Asif and confiscated their mobile phones. Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, later said in a statement that he has briefed President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani over the issue.
On Butt’s request, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, requested the British Foreign office to allow access to PCB and the High Commission into the investigations.
“The Metropolitan Police have informed the ICC, ECB and PCB that their investigations continue and ICC, ECB and PCB with the involvement of the ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit, are fully assisting those enquiries,” said a statement issued by PCB. “No players or team officials have been arrested in relation to this incident,” it added. Pakistan arrived late for the fourth day’s play, didn’t warm up and instead sat in the players’ balcony, looking tense.
The match ended before lunch and the victory ceremony was staged in the Long Room in the Lord’s pavilion. Amir, who was named Pakistan’s player of the series, got neither applause nor handshakes when he was presented with the award by Giles Clarke, the ECB chief.
Meanwhile, Salman Butt refused to resign as Pakistan captain after being embroiled in the spot-fixing scandal and leading his team to a massive defeat in the Test series finale. “Why,” he responded when asked whether he would quit as captain. “We won a Test against Australia after 15 years, and against England,” he added.
“We have given our best, it’s just that the conditions have been difficult for the batsmen. Every person has given 100 per cent, but not every time can you achieve what you want.” Salman, 25, was asked point blank if allegations against him were false. He didn’t give a straight answer.
“These are just allegations and anybody can stand out and say anything, it doesn’t mean they are true. They include quite a few people and they are still ongoing. We’ll see what happens.”
“The allegations involving you - are they true or false?” he was asked again. “I haven’t heard any allegation except someone just taking my name. There is nothing that I’ve seen or shown on TV, nothing that involves me.”
Yawar Saeed, the Pakistan manager, said that he and the players learnt about the scandal after returning to the team hotel at around 7.30 pm on Saturday evening. “We got to the hotel at about 7.30pm last night and I was just settling into my room when I got a message that Scotland Yard officers are here and would like to see me.
“They were there about two hours. They spoke to three gentlemen, went into their rooms, came back and at about 10pm they said, ‘We’re through, we’re going away’.” When asked about the seriousness of the allegations, Yawar said: “No allegations are true till they proved either way. So at this point of time they are just allegations.”
The latest scandal to have hit Pakistan cricket has cast doubts over their limited-overs series that begins with a Twenty20 International in Cardiff on Sunday. But Yawar said that the series which includes five One-day International is on. “As far as I’m concerned, the one-day series is on,” he said.
England captain Andrew Strauss, however, said that it was too early to comment on it. “I honestly think that the best thing to do is let the dust settle on this,” he said when asked whether the tour should continue. “It’s all new and raw and it’s easy to get quite emotional about things right at the moment. For all of us, it’s better to see how things pan out — clearly the ICC, ECB and Pakistan Cricket Board have to sit down and put their heads together, and decide what the best way forward is, and we as a cricket team we have to take stock as well.”
The authorities, meanwhile, have declared that the players will be banned for life if found guilty. President Zardari expressed his disappointment and asked Ijaz Butt to send him a detailed report on the scandal. “The president, who is also patron of the Cricket Board, taking note of the reports, has directed that he should be kept posted about the developments as to what happened and what is the status of any inquiry that may have been ordered or held in London,” said Farhatullah Babar, the presidential spokesman.
Premier Gilani said the latest controversy against Pakistan’s cricketers had made their countrymen “bow their heads in shame”. “I am deeply pained,” he said. “Our heads have been bowed in shame.”
Sports Minister Ijaz Jakhrani said that any player found guilty should forget about playing for Pakistan again. “We are waiting for a detailed report from the PCB and if any players are found guilty of being involved in fixing they will be banned for life,” he said.
Majeed, meanwhile, also claimed that he rigged Pakistan’s second Test in Sydney last January which they lost against Australia from a seemingly-winning position. He also claimed that he opened Swiss bank accounts for the players to hide their share from the scam. According to the tabloid, Majeed received 150,000 pounds from its undercover reporters posing as members of a Middle Eastern gambling cartel.
Cricket greats, meanwhile, feared for cricket following the latest betting scandal to hit the sport. Former Australia captain Ian Chappell said he strongly believed corruption was rife in cricket, adding that it didnít just confine to Pakistan. He also raised a question mark on Pakistan’s Sydney defeat.
“Obviously for them to lose that game they had to be one of two things: the worst Test players of all time or the best match-fixers of all time,” he said. Ramiz Raja, the former Pakistan captain, said that the case against Pakistan was “water tight”. He told “The News” that Pakistan will have to take all-out measures to wipe out corruption within its ranks.
Former England captain Nasser Hussein said: “It’s not something as simple as a few no-balls. There have always been whispers about Australia and what happened in Australia in the game Pakistan lost from nowhere — that is not spot fixing, that is losing matches.
“There are also allegations about future matches with this guy saying they can lose two one dayers, now that is not spot fixing that is match fixing and that is a dark, dark road to go down.”
