Players turn down request for PCB observer at Doha

[Sadaf Gondal]

DOHA: Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer on Wednesday voiced confidence they would again play for their country ahead of a make-or-break anti-corruption tribunal in Doha.

The pair, along with Mohammad Asif, face the hearing Thursday on charges of spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England last year in a scandal that rocked the sport.

It is alleged that they conspired in the bowling of deliberate no-balls -- claims they all deny.

Butt, the Pakistan captain, said he was desperate to play top-level cricket again and said the scandal had taught him some harsh lessons.

"I have always played the game for the love of it and have never been involved in any wrongdoing," he said.

"I am confident that I will soon be playing for my country. I have been practising all through this difficult phase of my life so that whenever I am cleared I am able to play.

"This phase has taught me a lot of lessons and I hope I will learn from them."

All three were provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in October, with the world governing body's code of conduct carrying a minimum five-year ban if corruption charges are proved.

The maximum punishment is life out of the game.

Their suspension came after reports in the British newspaper News of the World, which claimed several Pakistani players -- including the trio -- obeyed orders from an alleged bookmaker during the Lord's Test in August.

The newspaper said it paid Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars) in return for advance knowledge of pre-arranged no-balls which could then be bet upon.

Butt and pace bowlers Aamer and Asif were named by the newspaper as the players involved.

Police raided the team's hotel in London and questioned the three men, along with bowler Wahab Riaz, but they have yet to level any charges.

The three-man independent hearing is led by code of conduct commissioner, and leading lawyer, Michael Beloff, aided by Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa and Kenyan Sharad Rao.

In a statement Wednesday, Beloff said the hearing could end before January 11, but not after.

"The parties have helpfully exchanged detailed submissions in advance of the hearing to seek to identify the issues that are in dispute in these proceedings," he said.

"The procedure for the hearing, it has been agreed by all parties and approved by me.

"It is designed to ensure that all parties can be satisfied that they have been given a full and fair opportunity to present their evidence and advance their submissions."

Aamer said he was hopeful of a positive outcome.

"This is the toughest phase of my life," he said.

"My elders tell me that such phases come in the life of a professional, so I am bravely facing this situation and will hopefully come out of it to play for Pakistan.

"I have been watching matches and felt disappointed at not being part of the team, but I hope it's a temporary phase and I will soon be playing for my country."

His lawyer Shahid Karim said the incident had hurt the player emotionally.

"One of the mitigating factors is age and the other mitigating factor is Amir's previously unblemished record," he said.

"Emotionally he is drained, he's been affected badly by it, but he's coping as best he can and above all he is very confident that he will come out of this clean."

The hearing should be taking place in Dubai, where the ICC is headquartered, but was shifted to Doha as Asif is barred from entering the United Arab Emirates after being deported in 2008 on possession of banned drugs.

[DexteR]

Bas yeh dua hai that the Tribunal is fair and just.

[Sadaf Gondal]

ameen

[Mr. Bean]

Amir aur Asif ko discount milna chahiye batsman to buhat hain hamaray pass bowlers nahi hain

[Sadaf Gondal]

Amir aur Asif ko discount milna chahiye batsman to buhat hain hamaray pass bowlers nahi hain

tum kaha ray rahe hon
we don't have batsmen we do have bowlers..han lekin in ki jaga koi mushkil se replace karay gayian

[Sadaf Gondal]

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KARACHI: Mohammad Amir shot to fame in his first year as an international when his exploits led to comparisons with legendary Pakistan left-arm paceman Wasim Akram.
But now, just 18 years old, he finds himself engulfed by a scandal which has rocked the sport.
Amir played a key role in guiding Pakistan to the World Twenty20 title in 2009 — the first time he was included in Pakistan’s senior team.
“Amir is an amazing talent,” Imran Khan said.
“I have watched him closely and I can say that he is streets ahead of Wasim when he was 18.”
Wasim, who spotted Amir in a coaching clinic in 2006, didn’t differ.
“Amir is certainly cleverer than me when I was 18,” said Wasim, after watching Amir at Lord’s against Australia in July last year.
“I am sure he will go places and spearhead the Pakistan attack in the years to come.”
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja said: “To see an 18-year-old fall in the pit was disappointing.
“He had the world, everyone was raving about the talent and if he was keeping bad company he may have been dragged into wrongdoing.”
Amir grew up in a small village called Chunga Bangyal, near Gujar Khan, some 55 kilometres from the capital Islamabad.
Impressed by his cricketing talent, Amir’s parents sent him to Bajwa academy.
“Amir was awesome ever since he joined us in 2004,” said Asif Bajwa, head of the academy.
“He was a very good student, excellent bowler and able batsman and we instantly realized that he had the potential to play for Pakistan.
“Amir has not changed at all, but our system is such that bad people entrap the innocents.”
Many, including ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, believe that if Amir is found guilty he should be treated leniently considering his age and the fact that this is his first offence.
“Not playing cricket is a great pain,” Amir told AFP.
“I hope and pray that my bad days are over and I return to international cricket sooner than later.”
[Courtesy The News International]

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[sheem]

hmmm

[DexteR]

Bohot kam age mei shohrat mil gayi iss liye shayd match fix ker betha

[DexteR]

A request by the PCB to have an observer present at the spot-fixing hearing currently underway in Doha, Qatar, was turned down by two of the three players defending themselves against the ICC's charges, reaffirming the distance that has grown between the players and their former employers.

The code of conduct under which the ICC hearing is held allows for such a provision but leaves the final choice to the discretion of the tribunal. The relevant portion of article 5.1.8 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code states, "At the discretion of the Anti-corruption tribunal, a representative of the Player's or Player's support personnel's relevant National Cricket Federation may also attend any such hearing (but strictly as an observer only and with no right to be heard)."

ESPNcricinfo understands the request was made ahead of the hearing that began on Thursday. The request was considered by Michael Beloff QC, the chairman of the tribunal and the ICC's code of conduct commissioner, and discussed with other members of the tribunal as well as the players and their lawyers. Though the final decision remains with the tribunal, in this case it appears that the players' objections have been heeded. Had it been accepted, the PCB would have sent a legal representative.

The reason behind the PCB's request appears to have been nothing more than wanting a representative present at such a significant trial involving players who have been such an important part of the national team until recently.

"When the request was made for Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis [who will appear as witnesses for the ICC] we felt there should be a board man there too because they are our players in that sense and to keep an eye on the proceedings to ensure justice is done," a board source told ESPNcricinfo.

The refusal might not ultimately be a bad thing, as one source pointed out. "Whoever went would be under a bit of tension in the sense of whether they should support the players or the system so in that sense it isn't a bad development ultimately."

When the scandal first broke in England last summer, the PCB as well as the Pakistani High Commission in London assumed broadly supportive stances. The board did not suspend the players until the ICC officially charged and suspended them, even offering initial legal representation in their interactions with Scotland Yard.

But since then, at the insistence of an ICC concerned that its members might be seen as supporting players potentially facing spot-fixing charges, the board has stepped back. The players' central contracts have been suspended, they have not been allowed to practice at board facilities and no legal or financial assistance has been offered. On at least a couple of occasions, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir have indicated public bewilderment at how the board has left them to fend for themselves.

Given that one player is believed to have not raised an objection the move also points to a growing individuality in the players' approach to their defence. The trio have been staying separately in Doha and arrived and left separately on the first day of the hearing.

[Sadaf Gondal]

nazar lug gayi hai is ko
log tareef jo bhuat kerte the