Lord's Test at centre of fixing allegations

	News of the World headline implicating Pakistan's cricketers in a match-fixing scandal, August 29, 2010" class="stryPhotoEn" align="top" border="0" hspace="0" vspace="0" width="310"> A spot-fixing scandal surrounds some of the Pakistan players © News of the World Enlarge
Related Links In Focus: Match-fixing Matches: England v Pakistan at Lord's Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of England Teams: England | Pakistan

The fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's is at the centre of a police investigation into spot-fixing following the arrest of a 35-year-old man, Mazher Majeed, who was allegedly caught claiming to have bribed Pakistan's bowlers to bowl no-balls on demand.

According to a report in The News of the World, Majeed accepted £150,000 to arrange a fix involving Pakistan's new-ball bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, whom he allegedly asked to bowl no-balls at specific moments of the match. The paper also alleges that the team captain, Salman Butt, and the wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, are involved, along with three other unnamed cricketers.

Cricinfo understands that the players named were questioned about sums of money found in the rooms, though it is thought that those were made up of the daily allowances players are given while on tour. The man arrested, Majeed, is believed to have contacts with the team though until now it was assumed he was acting as an agent for players, helping them secure sponsorship and kit contracts.

Officials from the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit are currently flying in from Dubai, and in a statement, the ICC confirmed that the allegations were being taken seriously.

"The International Cricket Council, the England & Wales Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board have been informed by the Metropolitan Police that a 35-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers," read the statement.

"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. No players nor team officials have been arrested in relation to this incident and the fourth npower Test match will continue as scheduled on Sunday. As this is now subject to a police investigation neither ICC, ECB, PCB, nor the ground authority, the MCC, will make any further comment."

A Scotland Yard spokeman added: "Following information received from the News of the World we have today [Saturday, August 28] arrested a 35-year old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers."

In a video secretly recorded during the NOTW investigation, a man alleged to be Mazher is clearly heard predicting that Amir would bowl the first over of the England innings, and that he would deliver a no-ball from the first ball of the third over - which as Cricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary noted: "was an enormous no-ball, good half a metre over the line." The man also appeared to correctly predict a no-ball from the sixth ball of the tenth over, bowled this time by Asif.

Pakistan's team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed that the allegations were being investigated, with police turning up at the team hotel in Swiss Cottage at 7.30pm, shortly after the close of an eventful third day of the Lord's Test, in which Pakistan were left on the brink of defeat after losing 14 wickets in the day.

According to Sky News reporters outside the team hotel, police officers were seen leaving the building with two bags at around 11pm, while an unidentified man in a Pakistan training top was understood to have been taken away in an unmarked police car from the back of the building, although the team manager denied that any arrests had been made within the squad.

Even allowing for their disastrous on-field performance, Pakistan left Lord's with unusual haste after the third day's play, with the team bus departing barely 20 minutes after the close of play, before any member of the squad had taken part in the mandatory post-match press conference.

Pakistan eliminated in cliffhanger

India 271 for 7 (Gambhir 83, Dhoni 56) beat Pakistan 267 (Butt 74, Kamran 51, Praveen 3-53) by three wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Gautam Gambhir's half-century gave India the advantage before the drama began © Associated Press
Related Links News : Afridi praises team unity Analysis : Emotions hit fever pitch in iconic rivalry Matches: India v Pakistan at Dambulla Series/Tournaments: Asia Cup Teams: India | Pakistan

The Asia Cup's marquee clash was a cliffhanger. The contest between India and Pakistan simmered tantalisingly, with one team edging ahead at several junctures only to be pulled back by timely strikes from the other. The ebb and flow went on until the match reached flashpoint during India's chase. Tempers flared, nerves frayed, batsmen resorted to the desperate, bowlers lost their radar and fielders fumbled as margins for error became non-existent. And Pakistan, fighting to stay alive in the Asia Cup, watched Harbhajan Singh, fuelled by adrenalin and his love for a scrap, heave the penultimate ball of the match from Mohammad Aamer over the midwicket boundary to trigger explosive celebrations in the Indian dressing room.

Pakistan, after the emotion subsides, will identify a period during their batting, when they let a critical advantage slip, as a factor that contributed significantly to their exit. Their top three - Salman Butt, Imran Farhat and Shoaib Malik - had built a platform from where a total of 300 was probable, but a collapse eroded their position from 144 for 1 to 159 for 4. A regular fall of wickets thereafter, and especially the loss of Shahid Afridi and Adbul Razzaq before the batting Powerplay was underway, gave rise to the possibility of a total less than 250. It needed a counterattack from Kamran Akmal to lift Pakistan to 267, a score well short of what they were on course for. It was the ninth consecutive ODI in which Pakistan had failed to last 50 overs.

This tensest of finishes - India needing three off two balls with tailenders batting - seemed improbable when Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni put on an exhibition of clinical accumulation during their partnership of 98, which left only 89 to get off the last 15 overs with eight wickets in hand. They ran hard, pierced gaps, and muscled pressure-relieving boundaries whenever the asking-rate crept over six an over. India were in control even after Gambhir's dismissal - bowled trying to cut a straighter one from Saeed Ajmal - with Dhoni, who had clouted a Shoaib Akhtar free-hit over midwicket for six to reach a half-century, taking charge.

India's advantage began to shrink between overs 38 and 41. Pakistan had 76 runs to defend at the start of this period and conceded only 15 in four overs. Rohit Sharma was then trapped by a Shahid Afridi flipper, but it was Dhoni's freak dismissal, in the 43rd over bowled by Malik, that made Pakistan the latest favourites. Malik drifted a friendly full toss down leg side, Dhoni reached away from his body and tried to paddle it fine. He was early on the shot and the ball ricocheted on to the stumps off the back of the bat. India now needed 58 off 46 with two brand new batsmen in the middle.

Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja nudged and pushed until 50 were needed off the last six overs and decided it was time to take the batting Powerplay. Afridi brought back Shoaib Akhtar, who was economical in his first spell but expensive in his second, for the fielding restrictions and he bowled an exemplary over, troubling both batsmen with quick short-of-a-length deliveries. Raina and Jadeja managed only one off him.

Jadeja was castled by Ajmal off the first ball off the 46th over and Raina was then joined by Harbhajan. Raina had struggled to make contact with Shoaib's bouncers and so he targeted Ajmal, cutting the ball to the boundary before heaving it over midwicket. That 13-run over narrowed the gap between runs required and balls remaining significantly and Ajmal hobbled off the field shortly after.

Pakistan had held the edge since Dhoni's dismissal but their grasp on the contest weakened when Harbhajan lofted Shoaib over long-on with impeccable timing, reducing the equation to 30 off 22. Shoaib, however, mixed slower balls with sharp bouncers to concede only three of the next four balls. In the 48th over, Aamer's direction failed him and he delivered two wides, but the batsmen managed only singles off the first four legal deliveries. Then Raina went deep into his crease to convert a yorker into a full ball and swung it powerfully through midwicket, finding the gap between two boundary riders.

Raina took on Shoaib in the 49th, pulling a short ball - this one didn't rise as much - for six to slash the equation to 10 off 11 balls. Shoaib, however, once again finished strongly, beating Harbhajan with consecutive bouncers off the final two deliveries. He followed up those fiery deliveries with an equally fiery verbal volley. It riled Harbhajan who responded before Billy Doctrove intervened.

With India needing seven runs off the final over, Raina took a single off the first ball, giving Harbhajan the strike. Raina tried to get it back immediately by stealing a bye but his desperate dive was beaten by Kamran Akmal's throw. Kamran was pumped: he had dropped Sharma earlier, and had a confrontational tête-à-tête with Gambhir over an appeal for a catch.

Praveen Kumar, India's No. 9, scored three off his first two balls and gave Harbhajan the strike for the penultimate delivery. Aamer ran in and pitched on a length, Harbhajan wound up, swung hard, and began to raise his hands in triumph as the ball cleared the ropes. And then he roared, and roared, and looked for Shoaib.

Afridi's century flattens Bangladesh

Pakistan 385 for 7 (Afridi 124, Farhat 66) beat Bangladesh 246 for 5 (Siddique 97) by 139 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Shahid Afridi broke the record for most sixes in ODIs on his way to a century © Associated Press
Related Links Matches: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dambulla Series/Tournaments: Asia Cup Teams: Bangladesh | Pakistan

A new-look Pakistan, led by a new-look Shahid Afridi, bowed out of the Asia Cup with little to boast about but with their reputations enhanced, while Bangladesh ended their campaign by reaffirming the gulf between them and the top-flight teams. Afridi unleashed the kind of fury he is famous for to launch Pakistan to their highest ODI score, and subsequently their first victory in 2010. Bangladesh, however, belied a complete lack of purpose in both innings, as the match meandered to the kind of denouement that has administrators concerned about the future of ODI cricket.

Bangladesh's spirit was snuffed in the first half when they were caught out without a plan by the Afridi redux - as aggressive as the marauder of old, but inventive and measured as well. These are early days yet, but captaincy is bringing out the best in Afridi. He has retained the willingness to attack but, entrusted with the responsibility of shepherding a young team, has weeded out the risks. Without having to heave across the line, at least until he gets set, Afridi once again showed he has the range to score at enviable pace.

Having collared Sri Lanka's attack in more trying conditions, Afridi barely broke a sweat today. With Umar Akmal already in the groove when he entered in the 29th over, Afridi worked the spinners around for a couple of overs. He flexed his muscles in the 32nd, lofting Suhrawadi Shuvo over long on for six and cashing in on the over-compensation by pulling for four. There were two strokes of luck soon after: an inside edge missed the stumps, and a skier was dropped by Mashrafe Mortaza. After that, however, Afridi unleashed and Pakistan accelerated at a ridiculous rate.

Smart Stats Shahid Afridi scored the sixth fastest ODI century in terms of balls faced. He has three of the top six Afridi has now hit the most sixes in ODIs, going past Jayasuriya. He now has 272 Pakistan's 385 was their highest ODI total, going past the 371 against Sri Lanka in 1996-97 Pakistan scored 129 runs from overs 41 to 50, the eighth highest on the list of most runs in the last ten overs in ODIs since 2000 Shafiul Islam, who leaked 95 runs, is sixth on the list of bowlers with the worst economy-rates in a ten-over spell

An extra-cover drive, a tickle and a whiplashed cut off Mortaza gave Bangladesh a trailer of what was to follow. After reaching his fifty in the 41st over, Afridi plundered 39 off 10 balls, with eight fours and a six, off Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasab and Shafiul Islam. The two batsmen had been tied on 41 at the end of the 39th over; five overs later, Umar had reached a steady fifty, while his captain was three short of a hundred. Umar departed in the 45th over, just before the batting Powerplay.

In the 46th, Afridi helped Razzak to fine leg to reach 100, off 53 balls, and in the same over he cut for four more before finishing with a loft over long on for his 271st six - the most by any batsman in ODI history. He smashed another length offering from Shafiul for No. 272 and stole one more four before his one-handed pull landed in the hands of square leg. Abdul Razzaq hustled 21 off nine balls, leaving the hapless Shafiul nursing figures of 3 for 95. The last ball of the innings was smeared over long off for six - Bangladesh had bled 120 runs in the last nine overs, and Pakistan had reached their highest ODI total, eclipsing a 13 year-old record, that was set up by - take a guess.

Before Afridi's assault, Pakistan's openers laid the foundation in more sober fashion. After spanking his second ball for a six over extra cover, Shahzaib Hasan served notice of both his strengths and intentions by repeatedly driving Mashrafe Mortaza on the up. Shahzaib rushed to his maiden ODI fifty before he fell trying to heave Abdur Razzak across the line in the 13th over, having dominated the opening stand of 81 in 12.3 overs.

With Shahzaib scoring freely, Imran Farhat had the breathing space to play out the seamers before settling in against spin. Having brought up his seventh ODI fifty, he succumbed to his own cheekiness, missing a late cut off Shakib. Bangladesh's spinners rallied in the period of play following the 25-over mark, culminating in Asad Shafiq's stumping in the 29th over. That was the Bangladesh captain's 100th ODI wicket, and it gave his side an outside chance to seize the initiative, but his opposite number upset his plans.

Bangladesh's batsmen, reeling from the carnage, focused on batting out fifty overs instead of taking a shot at the target. Their approach ensured there was no interest left in the second half of the contest. Imrul Kayes was the biggest culprit, dawdling around without any intent to score, while Tamim Iqbal showed characteristic spunk in taking on Mohammad Asif. He had driven, flicked and pulled him for fours before Asif struck with a slow and short off-cutter. With Tamim's dismissal, Bangladesh's hopes of making anything out of the game receded. In an inexplicable display that underlined the rift between Bangladesh and the rest, Kayes and Junaid Siddique settled in to accumulate. Despite cutting out all risks against a spirited but tired attack, neither of them could reach three-figures. Siddique eventually unfurled a few shots for the gallery, but no one was applauding.

Pakistan overcome Ashraful assault for 21-run win

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin

May 1, 2010

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Pakistan 172 for 3 (Butt 73, Akmal 73) beat Bangladesh 151 for 7 (Ashraful 65, Sami 3-29) by 21 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Kamran Akmal slammed eight fours and a six in his 55-ball 73, as Pakistan racked up 172, a score that proved too steep for Bangaldesh © AFP
Related Links Players/Officials: Kamran Akmal | Mohammad Ashraful | Mohammad Sami | Salman Butt | Shakib Al Hasan Matches: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Gros Islet Series/Tournaments: ICC World Twenty20 Teams: Bangladesh | Pakistan

Pakistan survived a Mohammad Ashraful scare to begin the defence of their world title at St Lucia with a 21-run win over Bangladesh. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt had laid the foundations with a 142-run stand that should've put the game beyond Bangladesh. But Ashraful, with Shakib Al Hasan for company, took a real pop at an imposing 173-run target, before Mohammad Sami swung a slow-burning game decisively Pakistan's way.

Bangladesh had been poor for vast chunks of the game, first with the ball, and then in starting the chase. But Ashraful's forceful 91-run stand with Shakib brought them close enough to get Pakistan jittery with five overs to go. Sami, on his T20I debut, ensured it wasn't to be with a fine two-wicket over to effectively end the game.

Match Meter Pakistan Akmal takes to the left-armer: Akmal takes to Bangladesh's strength of left-arm spin immediately, sweeping Abdul Razzak twice for four in the game's second over Pakistan Ashraful lets off Pakistan: Akmal is yet to settle when, on 13, he attempts a pull off Mortaza, only to miscue it high up in the air. Pakistan Aamer stars in typical style: Aamer bowls a fantastic first over and ends it with the wicket of Kayes, yet another occasion on which he has taken a wicket in the opening over Bangladesh Ashraful lays into Afridi: Having tried hard to improvise, Ashraful finally goes orthodox lofting Afridi effortlessly on the off side for two fours and a maximum in two overs. Bangladesh Shakib gets into the act: With the rate creeping up, Shakib slog-sweeps Hafeez for two massive sixes to leave his side needing 58 off the last six overs, with eight wickets in hand. Pakistan Sami strikes: Having begun with an expensive opening spell in his debut T20I, Sami comes back in a crucial 16th over to dismiss Shakib and Mahmudullah and effectively seal the game. Advantage Honours even

Mohammad Aamer had throttled Bangladesh's start and Ashraful arrived with trouble brewing. Having typically tried all manner of unnecessary improvisation initially, Ashraful settled down to playing normal strokes. It's asked often why he doesn't play those more, and let this be another time. He quickly deposited Abdul Razzaq for a wonderful six over midwicket, but really cranked up the heat when he took on Pakistan's captain next.

The first ball of Shahid Afridi's spell, the 11th over, was driven exquisitely over extra cover but it was in his next over that he really shook Pakistan up. Again he lofted Afridi, but with such grace and timing that the ball fairly sailed over long-off. A couple of balls later, he went squarer and soon after brought up his fifty.

Shakib meanwhile was showing the world once again why he is such a special young man. He never panicked, which can't often be said of Ashraful, and went about choosing his spots almost at will. Saeed Ajmal was heaved for one and Mohammad Hafeez was slog-swept for two maximums and suddenly Bangladesh had recovered from 36 for 2 to 115 for two after 14.

As so often, however, it wasn't to be and the surprise was that it was Shakib who perished first. Afridi took a gamble in bringing back an uncertain Sami, but it paid off as Shakib fell and Mahmudullah followed a few balls later. Ashraful still went on, dishing out some serious stick to Afridi, before falling, inevitably, to an improvised paddle, signaling a brave end.

Pakistan's big bonus, alongside Sami's effort, was Butt's earlier contribution. He has appeared ill-suited to the format, unable to work gaps and not blessed with the power that gets poorer batsmen more runs. But he has a good ODI record and the intent was there from the start with a first-ball boundary. From thereon, at regular intervals he would dance down, move away, find gaps or go aerial and went about as quietly as you can in reaching fifty off 29 balls. There was no violence, just clear-headed intent and faith in his regular strokes.

His improved leg-side game was on display as well; in three successive overs after the 10th, he swept Shakib, slog-swept Abdur Razzak and slapped debutant Suhrawadi Shuvo over long-on for sixes.

Akmal gave him predictable company, almost immediately trying to set the agenda. A bold statement was made against left-arm spin - Bangladesh's most potent weapon - straight away, as he twice swept away Abdur Razzak in the second over.

He was the one who took risks, almost paying for it when a miscued pull was fluffed by Ashraful. They were to pay for it as Akmal did what he does best. Out came the cuts, the scything cover drives, the pulls and the occasional mind-boggling slap over extra cover. All the while singles and doubles flowed on the large ground, giving Akmal a comfortable 73.

Bangladesh were unable to string together an over of good balls. It wasn't until the 16th over, when they claimed Akmal finally, that they bowled an over without conceding at least one boundary. They recovered, not allowing any more in the final overs but the damage had been done.