Problem not Butt, but the whole system

No one is or trying to cope the actual problem in Pakistan Cricket

Osman Samiuddin's latest article on Cricinfo magazine clearly states that the problem have been the political involvement in formerly a Joint Stock Company listed in the SECP, has been a disastrous exercise which pushed Pakistan Cricket some years back I fear. No investment on players, properties, grass root, promotion and marketing of this sport properly in the country, cricketing relations with neighbouring Cricket Boards in cold. Is anything more is left to be happen?

Let us admit, 3/3/2009 was our cricket board's mismanagement, and because of them humiliation to a nation... If you ask me, the main problem would not be solved by changing of faces but to clear up the mess created during the past years and let the system work smoothly, give peace of mind to the players by giving them permanent jobs, educating them, work on the grass root level because new talent emerges from there and all of the training work is done there, not when you're injected into the National Side.

Plus the main problem with Pakistan cricket in recent past have been relations with neighbouring and foreign cricket boards, we had some with ECB and CA before a 2 month long home and bilateral series played in England, but because of our lenient cricket board's policy, now the English media also showed their true colour, and the buffoon, in reply criticized the English Cricket Board and its players as cheats, clearly showing no respect for the hosts who literally helped you and showed sympathies what has been happening in Pakistan and if I am not wrong, Andrew Strauss himself had campaign for flood effectees in Pakistan and in return instead of charging onto the English media, they've done this thing! and now since relations with ECB also in cold, there's not a chance of getting their grounds in future for staging home games, lowest ebb of patheticism.

Now the only chance of staging home games is the Middle East or in South East Asia, which I wish and hope they do not opt for, else there would be a time that PCB would do the same like they did with ECB.

Innocent unless proven guilty or guilty unless proven innocent???

Cameras showed Shoaib Akhtar trying to play with the seam of the white cricket ball

As if Englishmen are angels!!!!

Do you call this a fair tactics? They called Shoaib Akhtar cheating in the game with respect to ball tampering, and showed the file footages of it. Although whatever Shoaib did wasn't to be praised of, but why can't the English media try to point out such things with their own players? Cheating if we go into the past was started from them, and even people who safeguard such people belonged from there... 

Who can forget Mr. Lever's Vaseline incident, or a Kiwi bowler's confession of ball tampering against Pakistan in a match played at Faisalabad, apart from confession he supported his claim by saying the he did it because Pakistanis also do the same!!! How pathetic... Ok lets ignore this one too... What about Tim Bresnan's latest thing (image), ball tempering and that too from the very first ball!!!
Plus they humiliated Muhammad Aamer as a cheat although in their own terms one can't be guilty unless proven guilty, and unless they're PROVEN guilty, they're assumed to be innocent, so why insulting the young Muhammad Aamer as cheat, by not shaking hands with him during a post match presentation, and when they were not proven guilty, why they were suspended. Although in my opinion the lagness is more of PCB as before ICC, PCB could have had punished the players on their behalf so that ICC couldn't punish them on the same offence, like once an English Manager jumped off his dressing room to punish a English player on a offence so that ICC couldn't punish them, so this shows that PCB was late to react, and now they've to tackle with the ICC punishment, but punishing before being proven guilty is not a good tactic.

I've been hearing some comments from former players and current British Sky commentators that atleast Aamer should be spared on the behalf of his underage advantage, what I am asking is why he be spared when he's not proven guilty??? When the British can hire back Mazhar Majeed, the person who played with the name of Pakistani players and was found counting money and betting for proving that he has several Pakistani players under his belt, such a corrupt person is rehired in a football club, claiming he's innocent unless and until proven guilty. With all due respect, Mushtaq Ahmed former Pakistani leg spinner, also had cases on him regarding match fixing, still he has been hired as the national bowling coach for England, when such latest examples show leniency, claiming not guilty unless they're proven, so why playing the double standard for English and Non English? They call themselves the people who'd die for justice, is this the way justice is done? On behalf of some tabloid's allegations, Pakistani players are insulted and humiliated, and even higher officials of ECB prohibited shaking hands with them, and on the other hand, the person who ruined the green shirters good name, is again rehired claiming he's innocent unless proven guilt. Isn't it a shame for a proud nation?

Pakistan ODI captain wants Younis Khan in his team!!!!

Daily Express News Story

Whom to blame????

Thank god, the controversial England tour comes to an end. Although it ended with some new controversies and with some pending ones too, like Shoaib Akhtar's ball tempering allegations and Pakistan's three trio's spot fixing case by the Scotland Yard. Unlike others I take things in another manner, like it wasn't the case of players involved in each and everything (although they aren't angels aswell), but more of a lenient management of Pakistan Cricket. I bet if it were like the management at the time when conversion of BCCP to PCB, as a joint stock company at Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan aka SECP, Englishmen would had some respect and control over their language, unlike this tour where they were too blunt in their freedom of expression motto.

Plus credibility of ICC as a global game organizing body has been on stake although they've created a Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, but still they were taking actions more on tabloids instead on their on sources!!! I don't think ICC was so lame being a global governing body of cricket, and standard of their Umpiring Elite Panel should also came into scanner as whoever plays cricket would know this that a decision here and there can change the complexion of the match, and that too Afridi mentioned while talking to Pakistani media personnel, but I want to ask one thing to Afridi and to the Pakistan Cricket Board, that has it been a Joint Stock Company like it was earlier during the conversion from Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan to Pakistan Cricket Board, comprises of Board of Governors, and so being a joint stock company investment would have been generated easily, they didn't have invested a single bit or pieces on their properties, whether it comes to Stadiums, Stadium Colonies, telecasting of domestic matches on television, and standard of cricket in domestic tournaments, we try to compare ourselves with Australia most of the time, but can't we see that they have invested a lot in their domestic, hawk eye, hot spot and several other technologies are a norm in their domestic circuit, so that when a domestic player becomes international, he's not alien to these things, are things the same with Pakistan?

Are such technologies implied into our domestic tournaments? Afridi mentioned that use of Umpire Decision Review System aka UDRS, should be applied into ODIs as well, but are we accustomed to these things naturally? Even when we have opportunity to use them in test matches, we are not able to cash in the advantage majority of times, whether it was the 2009-10 Pakistan's tour to Australia or/and the recently concluded nPower Test Series against England, our youngsters and even the experienced campaigners aren't used to of this thing, so why brag about implementation of such thing. First improve your standard of domestic, with a lot of investment, as me being a Karachiiete I've not seen a up-gradation to the National Stadium of Karachi, last time when I saw it was just the installation of flood lights, and major upgrade was at the time when matches of 1996 CWC was to be played here, when I had to goto Aga Khan Hospital for some blood tests those days, and now I take that route to goto my office.

If I conclude this in a nutshell, the reasons we lost were;

• We lack knowledge of latest technologies
• Lenient management, who can't control 14 boys
• Lack of media personnel, which could deal the interactions with the British Media
• Missing of opportunities, which literally cost us the match(es)

Because I don't think anyone can divert you to wrong way, its just the the person can only exploit your weakness and so we must be ready for that instead of doing blaming here and there

Are they doing justice?

Are the persons on the helm of affairs of ICC, doing justice to their designations?

It has really been a difficult tour for the Pakistani team. I still remember the very first test which Pakistan played against England at Nottingham just after their win against the Aussies at Headingley, when Mike Atherton asked Strauss a question regarding controversy on which the last tour ended in dismay, in return he replied that that won't be the case this time and we will try to play in the real spirit of the game!

But since than, thanks to the power of media this series has been polluted with controversies every now and than, again like last time when the Oval scandal which happened to be the last test of the series when the peculiar match forfeit scandal took place, and this time it was the Lord's test which was the penultimate one this time and again the match fixing thing was made a public talk, thanks to the unknown tabloids and their under-cover reporters doing the same jobs like some low-character women do in our society, by doing a لگائی بھجائی and that too very successfully, by only allowing those particular quoted statements at times, which may/can change the meanings of a particular narrated statement... Those who've seen the bookie video too, they must have noticed one thing for sure that what the tabloid have been bragging about those video CLIPS (I should call them bits and pieces of clips), they didn't have a particular flow and have clearly shows that they've shown those parts only which were of their own interests...

If they (the News of the World and their sister network The Sun) were so sincere with ICC to help them clean-up the mess of match fixing, so they'd have shown them (the ICC) their pieces of proves and than started a background investigation behind the series and at that time when the series was over completely, the result of which should have shown, but the way and in hurry these videos were uploaded, clearly shows that the main motive of them was to gain some publicity and in my dictionary a cheap publicity, again while I am writing this, ICC has started to prob the Oval ODI between Pakistan and England played on Friday 17 September 2010, do they (The ICC) have the right to investigate Pakistan only on the basis of an unknown tabloid's idiotic report?

Don't they feel that acting so seriously on the stupid and the idiotic reports of a foolish tabloid may hamper their own credibility, which is Cricket's global sport governing body, and hampering of a governing body means alot... They (the ICC) have been a puppet for sure in the hands of these British Tabloids, acting like a puppet and the dummy organization. Just tell me this is not ridiculous but insane, anyone can predict that this will happen, we predicted that Pakistan will lose the match unless some miracle happens. Sometimes while watching the game we say, now he is going to get out and it happens, or we say now he is going to hit a six or a four and it happens. Does it mean there is a so called SPOT FIXING THING involve in it? and ICC going to believe them like an obedient SON???

Pakistan Cricket DO HAVE THEIR OWN SHARE OF WEAKNESSES but there are other problems too specially in the ICC and of-course the British Tabloid which have been like an out of control African Jungle Pig, which do not know where to go, but want to win, even by hook or by crook...

May Allah bless them ALL.....

Difference a captaincy can make to a team!

An skipper can make or break a player's career. Take Inzamam played with Asim Kamal's career or, vice versa take Younis Khan who re-energized Afridi during the ICC World T20 2009 in the UK when he was about to be kicked out of the Pakistani team because of his poor batting form, but everyone saw the Number 10 shirt wearer in the Pakistani team was the Man of the Tournament during that tournament, and still Afridi took the confidence from that tournament to his captaincy during the One All T20 match against the Lankans in their own backyard and than the two T20s against the Kiwis in the UAE which also favoured the Pakistanis.

It was all because of the wise judgment of a fighter skipper we had during those days and which was revitalizing the whole Pakistani unit. In whatever and whichever the sport, skipper have to lead from the front. Recently during the second ODI between England and Pakistan at Headingley, Leeds, Andrew Strauss laid the foundation for the later batsmen to score and played his major role in winning of the second ODI, but I must say Strauss may be a great batsman but he lacks sportsman spirit for sure! Those who've been following the nPower Test series between England and Pakistan and specially the Oval Test, when Wahab Riaz had his first test wicket (citation, if require) on a clear edge to the keeper, he had the decision to be reviewed although on the naked eye it looked like a clear deflection off the bat, but still opt for reviewing the decision and the third umpire seconded the onfield umpire and gave Strauss out, me my self a later middle order batsman and I can be assured at times that ball has hit my bat or not.

I still remember the days when we used to play at UBL Sports Complex in Karachi, my coach used to tell us that we've to have our eyes and ears always open, eyes for watching the ball and ears for the edges off the bat. These are the basic thing which are taught when a baby starts to play hard ball cricket. But Strauss has been acting little bit more childish than that stage! Even during the 2nd ODI, he was found indicating the umpire with his negative nod to umpire when the whole Pakistani team appealed for clear caught behind! even the replays showed Pakistanis were unlucky...

Anyways getting back to the skippers, cricket is the only game in the world (again citation require, if any) in which the role of skipper is like a backbone to the team! He should be motivational, leading from the front, a team man and last but not the least the team should respect him, like Imran Khan! Why going too far, MS Dhoni when took the charge as the skipper of Indian National Cricket side, although there were players like Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, Kumble and Sehwag who could have been skipping the side at first, but BCCI supported MSD and now with their consistency, India is ranked the world's number one team!

Similarly, if we had persist with Younis Khan and didn't got blackmailed by the players and the corrupt manager, who should start baby sitting his grandsons and granddaughters at home, things would have been much better for Pakistan as well! But when personal ego takes place, country's interest comes second and that's what the dilemma of Pakistani Cricket, if put in a nutshell!

sharing some simple but STRAIGHT POINTS...: why you want to shift attention...?

sharing some simple but STRAIGHT POINTS...: why you want to shift attention...?: "look around almost everybody is welcoming champions league (CLT20) as the savior of cricket... the much needed refreshing shift of attention..."

Cheap tactics for publicity

http://www.cricinfo.com/england-v-pakistan-2010/content/story/475881.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

Cheap tactics for publicizing themselves! This NoTW newspaper is already famous for such things and now this! Just see for yourself, what are they trying to prove from Hameed? and that too by the means of black mailing and such cheap tactics?

Pathetic!

Not very optimistic!

Now since this T20 and ODI series is going to be started under the shadows of match fixing and etc, today Pakistan when bat first against the inform English team, it looked under pressure from the ball one. Although after early departure of Senior Akmal, inclusion of Mohammad Yousuf did helped a bit but that's true that Mohammad Yousuf played hurriedly and didn't thought of staying on the wicket and to keep the score board tickling, instead he was more thinking of relying on 4s and 6s, although he's not a hard hitter of the ball but still, his inclusion did helped.

After playing under pressure against the English players, Pakistan managed to score a modest score of 126 in 120 balls, which for me against a world champion T20 team, is peanuts!

Although Pakistan have taken 5 crucial wickets but the youngsters fired for the English team with the debutant Davies hammered crucial runs along with Bopara and Morgan and now while I am writing this 118-5 is England's score! and like English media have the tendency of putting ample pressure on the visiting teams, they've won the match against us much before the match already played, by involving the cream of Pakistan team into controversy, as the last T20I Pakistan played against the Aussies, Muhammad Aamer was the standout player and was named as the man of the series, and Salman Butt was the standout player as batter in that 2 match series, and getting them into controversy gives me some suspicions.

MARK MY WORDS, as there are some super powers in the cricketing world who want to tame Pakistan cricket under their own jurisdictions. just see without Salman Butt and Muhammad Aamer, Pakistani team just shattered against the England, else no doubt England are current world champions but still in presence of a quality bowler and quality batsman in Aamer and Salman, England team didn't had a chance to win that much comprehensively against Pakistan as the news just broke England 129-5 with 17 balls to spare! Its more lagness of Pakistan management!

Forget what others say, concentrate on your own created mess!

Elders also say that don't poke into others' matter but to clear-up your side of the collar! That's what the time required, instead of taking solid steps to get rid of such rubbish from Pakistan Cricket, we've been busy with blaming our created mess to others!

I personally feel that others would and will exploit you on your weakness, unless you're something like GodFather sorta person in real life! That's where we've been lagging... Others will surely try to pinch us on our weak points but it doesn't mean that you instead of taking solid steps to get rid of that weakness, try to blame game and word fights thinking we'll win that way! I don't think or suppose the world moves that way!

The current fiasco we've been facing I am sorry to admit leads to our Cricket Board's Higher management instead of players, players after seeing that their higher authority members aren't accountable so they try to do the same! Because for a child, his or her parents are the role model and if parents do anything good or bad affects the child! Is our cricket board able to tackle the responsibility? Obviously the answer's in negative! No accountability, lenient management is the main cause of this fiasco that led the players TO HAVE COURAGE (if they have done so) to fell prey to the bookie's sinister plan... Its just like you trial a trader for trading in inflated prices, instead of the manufacturing mill which manufactured the good at such higher price! Have something to think before being judgmental!

Peace!

Why not Indians?

IPL can't be as clean as it seems!

Yesterday while I was busy with playing with television's remote, at one instance I had to stop as SRT was on TV saying his heart out on this current match fixing issue faced by Pakistani cricket team! Although he has been limited with media recently and apart from some advertisements he has not been found giving his own opinions on cricketing matters off-late!

So for me it was something worth listening too, and while listening to his press-conference, he struck a point which dazzled me too, apart from that those who're guilty should be punished, but his one statement that none of the Indian Cricket team players were contacted by bookies! That thing DID hit me, that right apart from India, Pakistan Sri Lanka and Bangladesh players had accepted that bookies had tried to contact them and going as far as the Tasmanian Side, Aussie player Brad Haddin and Shane Watson had revealed that during Pakistan Australia Lord's test and previously Aussie England's Lord's test, bookies had tried to contact them...

So this thing is making me suspicious about betting offices around Lord's and secondly none of the Indian cricketers weren't contacted by any means. Probably the one reason is that money has been so much involved into Indian cricket that they don't need to indulge into such things!

But this is a fact too that I personally feel that majority of IPL matches which I watched on YouTube looked to be spot-fixed itself! The mode and the way they gave their wickets did created some suspicious in me being a cricket follower! Because the way most of IPL players play in their national sides and the way they play in the league differs alot! So one might have suspicions of those IPL matches being fixed as well!

Lorgat on charging of Pakistani players

What they said!

Matter taken from link above!

“They got their hooks into him as a baby, at a time when he would have had few confidants in the dressing room, few colleagues he could have gone to for guidance. These men, his team-mates, were meant to look after him; instead they corrupted him, blackened his soul and diminished his talent.
Look at Aamer’s no-ball. It is a joke. It is so exaggerated, so utterly out of keeping with his bowling performance on Friday that it attracted the attention of the television commentators.
Look at Asif’s. Barely over, a small misjudgment, hardly noticeable. To the naked eye, one man looks as if he knows what he is doing, the other hasn’t a clue. If the allegations are correct, both are cheating, but the older man appears better at it; one might even say more practiced.” Martin Samuel – Daily Mail
“When I heard on Saturday night that Pakistan were involved in a match-fixing scandal, I immediately thought two things. The first was: I’m not massively surprised. The second was: please, don’t let it be Mohammad Aamer.When it turned out the lad was involved, it felt hugely disappointing. Mohammad Asif has got himself into scrapes before, but Aamer has been a breath of fresh air all summer. He’s revived the dying art of proper fast bowling and his future looked fantastic. Now it’s been tarnished. Lord’s felt a shallow place to be yesterday.” Nasser Hussain – Daily Mail
“the pain of witnessing a young boy of the most beguiling talent and apparently sunny nature making what might just prove to be his last strides in a theater of sport he had come to command so brilliantly, so quickly.
Assuming that Aamer’s name goes up on the Lord’s honours board after his astonishing haul of five front-line English wickets, and the not inconsiderable scalp of Graeme Swann, last Friday, we can only hope there will be difficulty in explaining to some future generation of cricketers how it was that such talent was banished from the game at such an early age.” James Lawton – The Independent
“To see an 18-year old boy being dragged into the controversy is the worse part. He had the world, everyone was raving about the talent and praising him. It is such a sad moment in cricket.
Amir comes from a humble background. He is 18, with an impressionable mind, and if he has been keeping bad company, it’s possible he could have been drawn [into wrongdoing]. But if that’s the case, then the guys who got him in should be put behind bars because they’ve spoilt a grand career. They’ve infiltrated and spoilt a young mind, and it’s such a shocking state of affairs.” Ramiz Raja – Cricinfo
“I probably feel for him more than anyone because he’s only a young, naive and innocent young guy. Unfortunately he’s caught up with something.
Whether it’s in their culture I don’t know, I don’t know how deep it runs, but it’s unfortunate that someone of his skill has got tied up with something that is damaging to cricket and to the individuals. I found him to be a brilliant competitor on the field.” Shane Watson
“He should not be punished as an example to the rest, as everyone seems to suggest, rather he should be made aware of the issues, educated, rehabilitated and held up as an example of what can be achieved.
Amir’s rehabilitation should be at the heart of the cleansing of Pakistan cricket. The brilliant young bowler is not the cause of the problem but the most tragic consequence of it.” Michael Atherton – The Times
“It was impossible to take one’s eyes off Amir, but for reasons different than those of a couple of days ago, when he was utterly compelling as he glided in and made magic with the ball. Now you watched him walk in with the knowledge that every eye in the stands looked on in judgment. A wan smile tried to hide the storm that surely raged within as he tried to defend his mere wicket with a shadow looming over his honour. The heart ached for the bowler who had captivated us all year. Surely a boy so gifted couldn’t have let his soul be corrupted at such a tender age? It was a relief when Graeme Swann spun a ball past his bat and bowled him. Surely we’d see Amir bowl in a Test match again? The alternative is too depressing to contemplate.” Sambit Bal – Cricinfo Editor
“Yet we ought to understand part of what might drive a young precocious talent such as Amir to such involvement. Pakistan cricketers are poorly paid, with the riches of the subcontinent in India and a world away. Some, such as Amir, come from poor backgrounds. They are celebrated and feted, showered with gifts. Nice gifts might gain trust. A chance remark, a bit of team information, and the hook is in. Such things are not always about money for the player, for those involved in the vast illegal gambling syndicates of the subcontinent and Far East are uncompromisingly evil. Who knows the threats for non-cooperation?” Mike Selvey – The Guardian
“Perhaps the desire for smallish bans simply stems from a need to see Amir again. The thought that his career is over is far too heartbreaking to even consider. It is his involvement that has made this case so sickening and sad. We tend to reach for hyperbole at times like these, but Amir really is comparable with any 18-year-old bowler in the history of the game. And those who would easily dismiss him as a greedy deviant should recall his overwhelming joy at taking a Lord’s five-for on Friday, when he bent down to kiss the turf. The News of the World described it as “a kiss of betrayal”, but it wasn’t: it was the kiss of a kid who adores the game. He may have done something gravely wrong; if so, we must hope the ICC does not compound it with a hasty and excessive punishment.” Rob Smyth – The Guardian
“We must remember that we are judging these guys by the standards of our own country, when their situations are vastly different. The first time I met Mohammad Amir was when he was 16, coming to an Under-19s camp. He comes from a small village near the Swat valley and was delayed by three hours because the Taliban had closed the highway. That doesn’t happen in this country.
One thing that struck me about Amir was his constant smile, his zest for the game. That has not changed. I will never condone any form of fixing, but we should consider that a cricketer might not be thinking of personal gain but of getting money to buy a generator for his village because they don’t have electricity.” Geoff Lawson – The Age , Melbourne
“In the case of Amir, who is 18, it is terrible that a supremely talented youngster could be exposed to this. He is a delightful bowler with terrific skills. How sad it would be if it turns out his career is wrecked, but if anyone is involved in corruption he must be banned for life.” Jonathan Agnew – BBC Cricket
“I think one of the great sadnesses of all of this, and it’s a widely held view, is that a great young talent like Amir has been implicated in this one,” said Parry. “I think that’s what perhaps separates this from many other cases, because it suggests that the bad guys got to him before the good guys did.
But in terms of educating the players, it could be that they’ve (the ICC) not done enough. It would have to be a shock that a talent that has broken onto the scene so very, very quickly is at the centre of all this.
He’d have been enrolled in a cricket academy from a young age, and from the moment he shot to prominence with the international squad, you’d think that the Pakistan Cricket Board might have recognised a vulnerability and a need to put an arm around him. I can’t imagine it would have been that difficult to do, because when you read of the sums involved in betting in the Far East – with up to $500 million on a single game – the temptation is potentially there for relatively lowly paid cricketers. It’s beholden upon the authorities to step in and provide appropriate support systems.” Rick Parry – Cricinfo
“Only 18, and from an impoverished background, Amir would appear as much victim as perpetrator, a teenager whose head was easily turned.
If found guilty Amir, who was Pakistan’s Man of the Series, must be punished for his role, but he must not be crushed, despite those who think he should have known better. Morals are not limited to those with an education or experience. Amir might very well have been targeted precisely because he lacked both those things.
He was allegedly manipulated on two fronts; by the apparent loathsome fixer, promising riches beyond his means, and by the senior players also allegedly involved in the scam: Salman Butt, his captain, and Mohammad Asif, his new-ball partner.
He must be saved for another reason too, for cricket is not so well endowed it can afford to cast its prize assets on to the bonfire and hope others rise phoenix-like in their place. Amir is the youngest bowler in history to reach 50 Test wickets, so imagine how good he could be if he concentrated solely on getting batsmen out and not on the instructions needed to complete shady deals.” Derek Pringle – The Telegraph

News Package - Involvement of National Cricket team in Match Fixing

Cease the tour!

I must say Pakistan lost a Test match and a series but they might have lost something more important: their integrity and the manner now the T20 and the ODI series would be played would not be good! Knowing the nature of English crowd they've been expressive so there might be a possibility that Pakistanis may and surely would be abused from the crowd! So like Sambit Bal in one of his article clearly stated that the manner the future games be played is not suitable for the game of cricket.

So I personally feel that in order to play in humiliation because of such serious allegations, it's much better that to return home and those who're convicted should stay there till Scotland Yard completes its investigation and I pray with the core of my heart that all of the called players should come out clean. The PCB must suspend the tour and get on with the business of finding the truth. Among other things, there has been talk of matches in the ODI series being fixed. Cricket can't be played in an atmosphere where even a fair result will be doubted. It's terrible for the fans and even worse for the players. Plus in this scenario, I don't think the team would be in a position to play with its heart out. This series could be concluded at a later time but right now its not the best time to have a childish wish of playing! but shambolic Pakistan Cricket Board has no system for preparing our cricketers for the demands of international sport, from the most basic to the more complex. So it is no surprise that athletes with astounding natural abilities exhibit self-destructive tendencies.

What's next?

3/3/2009, Spot fixing allegations, bomb blasts in Lahore and now news breaking that BoomBoom the official kit manufacturer of Pakistan cricket is now thinking of its status of official kit manufacturer of Pakistan Cricket. What else can go wrong now?

Crisis from each and every end as one could say! Need someone of Imran Khan or Arif Ali Khan Abbassi's calibre to run the matters of Pakistan Cricket and Pakistan itself!

Something strict like that must be taken!

Omar Waraich of the Independent joins the former Pakistan captain Imran Khan as he tours his flood-stricken country on a relief mission – and tries to make sense of the betting scandal gripping cricket.

The controversy recalls a moment in 1989, when he [Imran Khan] was warned of a plot to corrupt his team. "I was called in the middle of the night," he says. "It was the final of the Australasia Cup against Australia in Sharjah. I was told that four of our main players had either been bought or would throw the match.

The next morning, Mr Khan summoned his team. "I told them, 'Look, I know all of you and I know cricket. If I see any of you underperforming, I will not just have you banned, I will ensure that you go to jail." He told the coach to bet the team's entire prize money on winning. It worked. "We won the match," he says, and later it was "confirmed that bookmakers had tried to influence the players".

Aren't some one in current Pakistani outfit as powerful as Imran Khan?

Sinister, extraordinary and heartbreaking

Sinister, extraordinary and heartbreaking

Younis accuses British paper of defamation

Younis accuses British paper of defamation