New Delhi:
The Pakistani team left by bus for Taunton early on Monday evening for a one-day warm up match against Somerset on Thursday, before the start of the one-day series against England. The hundreds of reporters outside suggested just a sliver of the scrutiny the team is under after a tabloid on the weekend provided hidden camera evidence that some Pakistani players seem involved in a massive betting scam. (
In Pics: Pakistan's endless 'fixing' saga)
In India, Sharad Pawar, the President of the International Cricket Committee (ICC) said that England, Pakistan and the ICC want the one-day series between England and Pakistan to continue. Pawar said that he is waiting for a confidential report from the Pakistani Cricket Board (PCB), the UK police is still in the midst of its investigations, and so far, no player has been interrogated. (
Read: ICC's Haroon Lorgat on Pak controversy)
The matches may take place as scheduled but it's hard to imagine that the players or audience will be able to put aside the facts and allegations that are hurtling across the cricketing world at top speed.
It began with News of the World - a UK tabloid - presenting an undercover reporter who posed as a businessman and paid 150,000 pounds to a British bookie named Mazhar Majeed. On hidden camera,
Majeed explains how three no-balls would be delivered on Thursday and Friday at the exact points that
Majeed wanted in the final test match at Lord's. That is exactly what happened. What
Majeed offered was "spot-fixing" - while the outcome of the game is not decided, details of play are fixed, with huge amounts of money riding on them in bets. (
Read: The Cricket scandal that has rocked Pakistan)
Majeed was arrested over the weekend and was released on bail. Four Pakistani players were questioned by Scotland Yard at their hotel on Saturday night. "Salman Butt, fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal," Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said. Butt is the Pakistani captain. The manager went on to stress that he does not believe Pakistani cricket is "institutionally corrupt". (
Who is Mazhar Majeed?)
Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani was less circumspect, stating that the allegations made his country "bow its head in shame." (
Watch - Pak PM: Our heads bowed in shame)
That was before another UK tabloid, the Sun, reported that Pakistani players also rigged the opening Test against England at Nottingham, which the hosts won by a massive 354 runs, in the series just ended. The Sun has reported that Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick was told about Pakistani players being involved in match fixing a month ago.
"Ms Dick, head of the Specialist Crime Directorate, was still assessing that information yesterday when a News of the World probe exposed a Pakistani match-fixing ring," the report said. (
Read: ICC will wait for police report before taking action: Pawar)
Meanwhile, another report claimed that the Pakistani players were found with cash exceeding their daily allowances during a Scotland Yard raid on Saturday night.
Majeed also said that he dealt sometimes with what he called an "Indian party" who "pay me for the information." But Pawar said there is absolutely no suggestion of any Indian link. Veena Mallik, the
former girlfriend of cricketer Mohammed Asif, who is one of the main suspects in the current scandal, says the opposite. She says Asif was in touch with an Indian bookie for spot-fixing. (
Read: Asif's ex-girlfriend claims he was in touch with bookmakers)
The News of the World announced its sting operation in a world exclusive on Sunday. It released several videos showing footage of a series of meetings that its reporter held with the bookie. The tabloid says its undercover team first met Majeed on August 16 posing as front men for a Far East gambling cartel. On August 19, the fixer met the undercover reporter and demanded 10,000 pounds down payment to fix spots.
On the video released by the tabloid,
Majeed, who was dining with the Pakistan team at an Indian restaurant, stuffed the money into his pocket before later opening up the jacket in front of the players to show them what he had.
On August 25, a day before the match began,
Majeed is seen on video bragging that a Test match played in Sydney in January this year between Australia and Pakistan was rigged. Majeed says he earned a huge amount of money from this.
He then plans no-balls to be bowled in specific overs of the game and later arranges and counts 140,000 pounds paid to him.