England completed a crushing innings and 225 run victory over Pakistan in the fourth and final Test at Lord’s yesterday on a morning overshadowed by corruption allegations.
Police arrested a 35-year-old man on Saturday after a British newspaper said Pakistan players had been involved in spot fixing, the illegal practice of manipulating incidents within the course of the match.
In an innings in keeping with an unusual game, Umar Akmal smashed 79 not out from 68 balls, including two sixes in a total of 147.
PHOTO: AFP
He shared a last-wicket partnership of 50 with Mohammad Asif, who contributed only 1, but still could not prevent Pakistan tumbling to their biggest defeat in Tests.
England won the series 3-1 after dominating the first two Tests, before they were defeated by four wickets in the third match at The Oval. Pakistan, who played six Tests in seven weeks, drew 1-1 with Australia earlier in the season.
Pakistan resumed at 41 for four in their second innings before a scattering of spectators on a dull, overcast day.
They left their north London hotel late on Sunday morning and did not take part in the usual team warm-up before play began.
Off-spinner Graeme Swann, who took four for 12 in Pakistan’s first innings of 74, was again the destroyer with five for 62.
Swann bowled Azhar Ali for 12 and Mohammad Amir for a duck as three wickets fell in the space of 11 balls.
Wahab Riaz was caught by Kevin Pietersen at mid-on off Swann without scoring, before Umar Akmal flourished with a frenetic innings, including a huge six over long-on in his first half-century of the series.
Police questioned Pakistan’s players after British newspaper the News of the World alleged in its edition yesterday that they were secretly paid to deliberately bowl no-balls during Thursday’s opening day of the Test.
Players entered the Lord’s dressing room area yesterday morning through a different side entrance to avoid waiting photographers and TV cameras.
The News of the World says it secretly filmed video footage of its undercover reporters, posing as front men for a Far East gambling cartel, in discussion with a man it identifies as London-based businessman Mazhar Majeed, who appears to accept £150,000 (US$232,000) in order to make sure no-balls are bowled at certain times during the match.
The newspaper says it has passed all its evidence to police.
Scotland Yard said in a statement: “Following information received from the News of the World we have today arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.”
The 35-year-old man was later yesterday confirmed to be Mazhar Majeed by his brother and business partner, Azhar Majeed.
The News of the World quoted Majeed as saying up to seven players in the Pakistan team could be “bought” for cash.
“I’ve been doing it [match-fixing] with them for about two and a half years and we’ve made masses of money,” Majeed said.
Video of the meeting between the undercover reporter and Majeed appears to show the businessman accepting the money and insisting that the three no-balls “have been organized” with the Pakistan team.
Azhar Majeed said he believed the allegations against his brother were “just rubbish.”
“I found it not laughable, because you don’t laugh at things like that, but I thought it was just rubbish,” Azhar Majeed said.
“I saw the video of Mazhar sitting there counting out money on the table. They are alleging it was for match fixing ... I have absolutely no idea about it whatsoever,” he said.
Azhar Majeed, who says he and his brother are player agents, admitted he had been asked to leave Pakistan’s team hotel during the third Test at The Oval after the team’s security manager told him he was top of the list of people banned from entering players’ rooms.
“Security kept on hassling me and I couldn’t understand what it was for, the reason I was top of the list,” Azhar Majeed said. “I couldn’t understand why. I found it a bit ludicrous for him to be chucking me out of hotel. Politely I went, but I have absolutely nothing to hide.”
In Pakistan, parliamentarian Iqbal Mohammad Ali, who also heads the lower house’s standing committee on sports, called for the players in question to be sacked from the team ahead of the two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals against England.
“Whosoever is involved should be banned for life,” he said. “All those who are suspected should be sent back home.”
Any player found guilty of involvement in match-fixing faces a life ban from the sport.
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