Ijaz Butt made Pakistan's case more complicated

Pakistan cricket team has returned home after the controversial tour of England with some bitter memories of being under the spot-light for wrong reasons.
The tour was marred by off-field controversies, which in the end took its toll when Pakistan cricket board’s (PCB’s) chairman Ijaz Butt stated that the England players were involved in match-fixing and have received heavy sums of bribe to lose the third One-day International.
Mr. Butt should have remembered the fact that it was English and Wales cricket board which came up to help Pakistan revive its cricket after the country was shunned for cricket tours after the attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.
ECB played a very positive role in helping Pakistan to resume its cricket activities by allowing them to use their country for their home series against the Australians. If it had not been England’s proposal, then Pakistan would have never been able to play the Kangaroos but the chairman of the PCB didn’t even think for a minute about the courtesy that was shown by the England’s officials before uttering his lowly words.
England cricket team and board officials have been enraged by the comments of Ijaz butt and have demanded legal apology for dragging the English players into the matter of match-fixing without any proof.
ECB have filed an official case against the chairman of Pakistan cricket board for defamation. The legal notice have been received by the Pakistan Cricket Board, which clearly indicates that England will be very much willing to withdraw the case against their counterparts, only if the chairman of PCB comes up and apologized for the wrong blames that he laid against the English team.
The Pakistan cricket board has instantly replied against the legal notice by hiring lawyers today, as the relationship between the two cricket boards is getting even bitter. The quick move by the PCB looks to be quite cautious as Ijaz Butt would be cursing the time when he made negative remarks against those who put forward a helping hand.
From inside, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board knows that he might lose the only friendly-board by his stupidity and that can leave Pakistan isolated in the cricket world.
Pakistan cricket board (PCB) revealed that they have ordered the lawyers to respond to the legal notice that they have received. It is not only the ECB who is looking to seek apology but the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) also wants the PCB’s chairman to take his words back.
ECB managing director Hugh Morris is still willing to withdraw from the case, only if Ijaz Butt responds with admission of guilt that whatever he said in the heat of moment was all wrong and that English players were not involved in any immoral activity.
He condemned the charges saying it has been very disturbing for English players to absorb such false claims which are serious attack on their loyalty. ECB’s managing director further said that the allegations are of serious nature and have raised serious doubts about the integrity of the game. What really surprises people is the fact that when the spot-fixing scandal erupted to the surface, Ijaz Butt was seen nowhere to be seen, and it was Pakistan’s high commissioner Wajid Shams ul Hasan and manager Yawer Saeed who were defending the charges against the Pakistan cricket team.
What comes to the mind of public is that the government of Pakistan knew that Ijaz butt doesn’t know how to handle the pressure of media that’s why he would have been ordered by the higher authorities of Pakistan to go underground until the matter was fully resolved.
But it was the bad luck of Pakistan that from somewhere Mr. Butt came in front of the media after almost twenty days of the spot-fixing scandal and did the non-sense stuff which was pretty much expected from him.

ICC and IPL also responsible for fixing

By Nabeel Hashmi

All the mud is slinged upon the Pakistan team and management on the spot-fixing scam and rightly so for their alleged involvement in the crime but what about the role of International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) anti-corruption unit (ACSU)?

The match-fixing, spot-fixing whatever you want to call it, is not anything new for the cricket’s supreme cricket body so how can it be possible that the officials of anti-corruption unit were unaware of these mysterious activities?

“The players should be banned for life” is the roar of the whole world, the scream to prohibit the Pakistani players is correct but why only they? The dubious role of the members of Icc’s anti-corruption unit should also be questioned that how on earth the highest paid personnel for stopping corruption in the game didn’t have a clue and a reporter of a newspaper planned a successful sting operation against the bookie and the players which should have been done by the ICC.The officials of ACSU should also be interogated and they should be suspend on their pathetic performance. It is a clear case of anti-corruption unit’s failure to detect and caught the bookies that are using players for their immoral purposes.

The players who are found guilty should be handed out an exemplary punishment only if they, just like Hansie Cronje, Salim Malik and Azharuddin who were banned for life to send out a resounding message to all those people who wants to weaken the ethical roots of the gentlemen’s game.

There have been strong cases of bookies approaching players in the past and in present now. Former greats have been raising their concern of alleged match and spot fixing in the game and the need to wipe it out for the betterment of cricket but still International cricket governing body have not caught even a single bookie on their own in the recent past.

It isn’t the case that the corruption in cricket is only prevailing particularly in Pakistan, the evils and demon can easily be found in other nations of cricket but only if the double standards of judging can be rectified. In the past also South African Herschelle Gibbs, West Indian Marlon Samuels, Indian Ajay Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar notably have been punished which clearly tells the sorry tale of  players belonging to major teams who have been found guilty of being corrupt.     

The introducion of T20 cricket has paved way for betting and most notably the Indian Premier League (IPL) which comes under ICC's wing. The grand finale of the IPL season three was the most controversial and doubt full match of all for officials who monitor all the games with an eagle eye to pounce on to any hint of the match being fixed. First Sachin Tendulkar have looked to deliberately scoop a simple catch which was held at mid-off boundary. Furthermore, Kieron Pollard one of the biggest hitters in the game was sent at number eight by Mumbai Indians with the final already gifted to Chennai Super Kings and only three overs remaining further cleared the air that the game was more than doubtful to be a fixed match.


Not only this JP Duminy was also sent late down the order at number seven. If that was not all to quite clearly to prove what game was going on in the match the astounding decision to promote Harbajhan Singh to number four and Ambathi Rayudu to sixth spot ahead of the international superstars who were brought in for millions of dollars turned the heads of millions of viewers0 making them believe that the main players are outside the ground not within the rope.
Understandably superstars are bought in to win the games not to be used as tail-enders. But still the inquiry was never setup for keeping a check on irregular activites and decisions in IPL.It looks ICC is fully supporting BCCI in fixing matches. The reason for putting the blame on ICC is that they never bothered to look into the suspicious matters of IPL. The first edition was won by Rajhastan Royals who were the underdogs, second edition was won by Deccan Chargers a team who finished at the bottom in the first season and the third was gifted to Chennai super Kings by the best team of the competetion Mumbai Indians. It is very simple loose when the rate is high on winning as everybody puts in their money for that team to win and win when the rate is low as everybody bet on your loss,this is all what fixing requires.

All the suspicious matches in three seasons of IPL should be reviewed and the suspects should not only punished be punished, their franchises should also be scrached because players do what their owners orders. Shahrukh Khan just like many others have invested millions and millions on Kolkata nightriders but he hardly seems to be worried on his team's poor showing in all three seasons. The reason behind it is simple, his franchise is earning heavily on loosing more than tripple they can earn y winning through betting and match fixing.

The suspicion raised by the IPL3 final and all the other suspicious events tandem with the 'fixing' saga prompted to raise the concern on crystal clear inquiring of all the matches which looks doubtful, its high time that ICC should start looking at all the matters with a same eye without being biased against any cricket board -- no matter how wealthiest and strong board of the globe it is, may it be Board of Control for cricket in India (BCCI), Pakistan cricket board (PCB), Australian cricket board (ACB), English and Wales cricket Board (ECB) etc.  
 

IS Revival of International cricket possible in Pakistan?

By Nabeel Hashmi

After the fatal attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in March 2009 by armed men in Lahore Pakistan has become a “no go area” and the cricket lovers in Pakistan from then on have been eagerly waiting for international cricket to return to Pakistan.
After the Lahore attack, in which eight people were killed and several members of the Sri Lanka squad were wounded with Thilan Samaraweera escaping death narrowly. The attack led to the cancellation of international tours to Pakistan but the ICC formed a special task force, headed by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, to find ways of reviving them.
The questions should be asked from the people who were at the helm of affairs at that time. If the security arrangements would have been up to the mark the firing would not have continued for more than half an hour. It was a miracle that none of the Sri Lankan players died.
The radical event cost Pakistan hosting rights of the ODI world cup 2011 which was a huge blow to the hopes of millions who would have loved to witness the superstars playing for their teams in the supreme cricket competition. The decision infuriated the public, former and current players who reacted angrily. Pakistan cricket board retaliated against the ICC forcing them to revert their decision but it wasn’t to be so. The matter was resolved through a compensation deal between the board and International cricketing body.
India was blamed for Pakistan’s exclusion in hosting rights of 2011 world cup but in reality we should blame ourselves as it was due to our poor security arrangements that the Sri lankans were attacked.
At that time it was a correct decision by the ICC keeping in view the security of players but from then on things have changed and now cricket can be brought back to empty stadiums of the country which would welcome a go ahead decision from cricket fraternity. Recently, the home series against the mighty Aussies was also shifted to England adding misery to the frustration of people and players.
Pakistan cricket is going through a rough patch and unfortunately the support expected from the ICC and other countries is not forthcoming. How can we expect the sport to survive in Pakistan when the ICC is isolating Pakistan as a cricketing nation?
However, there is some good news round the corner as ECB have announced recently that they are planning to send a world eleven team comprising of stars from all over the world to help Pakistan in rebuilding cricket activity in the terrorism hit country.
Pakistan Cricket Board has suffered a lot in terms of revenue generation as they have been force to play home series on foreign soil. Furthermore the traveling and the long stays out of the country are not only physically exhausting but mentally wearing as well. Players have to be without their families for months which is very disturbing for them which eventually effect their performances as they find it very hard to keep their focus thinking what might happen back home in this period of uncertainty.
Similarly, cricket fanatics in Pakistan are thirsty to see their heroes playing back in their own stadiums against the top sides of the world. The decision by the English and Wales cricket board have doubled the joy for the nation as Pakistan is experiencing the worst flood in their history and this announcement by ECB chairman Giles Clark have brought smiles back to the people who are in dire need of happiness no matter from where it comes. Cricket is one of the major sources in the country which gives pleasure to the public. ICC and other cricketing nations should step forward to help Pakistanis to get out these traumatic conditions.
Ejaz Butt chairman of Pakistan cricket board have also welcomed the idea of tour of World Xl to Pakistan. If this tour goes on once then surely cricket would return to Pakistan and the world will soften their stance against Pakistan. People would be praying that this idea can be transformed into reality sooner rather later otherwise it would only remain a thought once this become stale.

City of lights bleeding

By Nabeel Hashmi

Gone by the days when Karachi was counted as one of the city of lights in the world for its peaceful nature and activities by the public extending to late nights but the tag should now be replaced with city of bloodshed due to the recent target killing events which has inculcated fear among the citizens.
The ongoing wave of assassination of innocent people just for the sake of proving dominance in the city has led to ethnic war between pakhtoons and mauhajirs which started as a political war between MQM and ANP and one should be wondering where this massacre and brutality would lead us?
Citizens have been traumatized and a person does not know whether he will be able to return home alive when he goes out for work. Family members have to suffer mental stress praying for their beloved ones to reach home safely because workers have to stay in their offices when successive events of riots and violence start.
I also had the privilege to experience this when I had to remain in the office for three days and two nights when an MPA of MQM, Raza Haider was killed and what followed was hard to believe. Within 48 hours approximately 87 people were killed, 250 were injured and hundreds of public and private vehicles were torched in the so called presence of Incompetent Police and Rangers who flew from the spot of the incidents and we depend on them to safeguard our lives, property and belongings.
Shooting, burning and slaughtering incidents in the industrial hub of Pakistan shows that humanity doesn’t exist among criminal who called themselves Muslims and does not even care about the Holy month of Ramadan. Furthermore, successive strikes have also affected the economy of the country.
Major political parties or we can say supreme political party in the city should realize that this metropolis belong to people of Pakistan. They must accept the fact that they are no more the whole soul King of Karachi, now there is another stakeholder in this part of the country and they should be given their due rights. If they can’t tolerate threat to their supremacy then they should come face to face with the leaders of their coalition partners.
The killing of innocent should be condemned but then again there is no use of raising our voices, as everybody knows this is a tradition of our country that whoever raises his or her voices is laid to rest. We can never prosper as a nation until and unless people change their mentality. They should respect the differences and accept the share of others in their domain.