***Official*** Spot-Fixing Scandal

[stumpski]

Anyone know what the odds of the first ball of the day being a no-ball is?

Odds on a wicket should be shorter if yesterday was anything to go by.

Heh, just the 250-odd posts since I went to bed, then.

It'll be very interesting to see what happens this morning, suspect the match will continue as planned though.

 

[Cevno]

I think this will be hard to prove against most of the cricketers conclusively and one or two will cop the blame like was the case with the South African team where the likes of Gibbs ,Boje were named but not convicted .Also Waugh and warne and others .

Depends what other evidence is there except for this sting. Butt seems the man who is going to take the most slap.But lets not just depend on a sting by the NOTW.For all we know BUTT might have refused the bookie and he could be trying to frame them or just boast to the NOTW reporter who went their as a fixer.

 

[Matt79]

If the NOTW know what they're doing, they will have made sure they can prove WHEN the video was made. If that can be substantiated, then there's not really any plausible explanation other than it is precisely what it appears to be.

Can't imagine anyone will actually want to play the last day of this match. If Pakistan were to try and play, I wouldn't blame the English at all for refusing to take the field against them. Wear the loss - everyone will know the context. Statements need to start being made about what is acceptable and what isn't.

 

[Daemon]

If they did refuse, how do you explain the no-balls?

 

[G.I.Joe]

ps. i am not responsible for the circle.

You can't read anything into that. The batsman was probably going for a glory shot, so its ok.

 

[zaremba]

If the NOTW know what they're doing, they will have made sure they can prove WHEN the video was made. If that can be substantiated, then there's not really any plausible explanation other than it is precisely what it appears to be.

I thought this too, but on reflection the question of when the video was made is not really an issue. It doesn't appear to be disputed that the chap on the video is Majeed. And it's been admitted that Majeed is connected with the Pakistan team, albeit not in an official capacity. And what he says on the video is saying what will happen. Once you watch the video, it's very difficult indeed to see how this could have been recorded after the event unless Majeed was a knowing participant. Which, given that the sting was against him, and has led to his arrest, seems improbable.

 

[Matt79]

It actually looks like he's riding a unicycle in that picture...

 

[DingDong]

gi joe this is no time for jokes ok.

 

[andyc]

If they did refuse, how do you explain the no-balls?

Yeah. Everyone was up in arms about how deliberate the Randiv no-ball was, and one or two of these were even worse.

 

[Shri]

You can't read anything into that. The batsman was probably going for a glory shot, so its ok.

True that. An one match ban should suffice.

 

[Matt79]

I thought this too, but on reflection the question of when the video was made is not really an issue. It doesn't appear to be disputed that the chap on the video is Majeed. And it's been admitted that Majeed is connected with the Pakistan team, albeit not in an official capacity. And what he says on the video is saying what will happen. Once you watch the video, it's very difficult indeed to see how this could have been recorded after the event unless Majeed was a knowing participant. Which, given that the sting was against him, and has led to his arrest, seems improbable.

Yeah, exactly. A couple of people have offered the - I think rather plaintive - suggestion that it's all a fix up concocted after the event, which is highly unlikely on several fronts, but as I said, it is easy enough to confirm the date/time of a video like that, and having regularly employed this kind of sting, you'd think they'd make sure they did so. But even if they didn't, it is just very unlikely that Majeed would cooperate in some kind of scam who's endgame was getting himself arrested.

 

[G.I.Joe]

I hope this isn't true, but if it is, it underlies the need for a more equitable distribution of wealth, perhaps by that Test Championship that's often mentioned. You're never going to get rid of it when some teams make nothing while others make millions.

If you wanted to absolutely make sure a Test Championship never took off, that would be the way to do it. There is no way the big 3 are going to agree to that, commie. And I wouldn't blame them for their stance.

Besides, fixing occurs because of lax morals and greed, not necessarily because you're paid less. Corruption and the desire to make a quick buck exists at every level. At a guess, I'd say the Pakistani cricketers are paid handsomely compared to the rest of their countrymen. I don't think they're paid any lesser than their Lankan, West Indian, Bangladeshi or Zimbabwean counterparts too. The Lankan and West Indian players didn't go about fixing incidents on the field when they went through spells of not even being paid by their boards. Well, not that we know of. The bottomline is greed. Nothing else. Let's stop making excuses.

 

[zaremba]

You can't read anything into that. The batsman was probably going for a glory shot, so its ok.

Maybe, but when you combine the size of the no ball with the fact that a no ball had been predicted / promised in advance for that specific delivery, you can read a great deal into it.

 

[Matt79]

Yeah, I don't think the "pay relative to other countries" argument means much. They're paid well enough that they shouldn't be forced by poverty into this corruption, after that it's simply a question of the amount of money available for the corrupt. And around the world in all cultures, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that the rich are just as prone as any one else to breaking the rules to make some extra money.

 

[vcs]

I've always been suspicious but now I'm really starting to hate the idea of betting on sports in general.

 

[zaremba]

Yeah, I don't think the "pay relative to other countries" argument means much. They're paid well enough that they shouldn't be forced by poverty into this corruption, after that it's simply a question of the amount of money available for the corrupt. And around the world in all cultures, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that the rich are just as prone as any one else to breaking the rules to make some extra money.

Yep. Some of the individuals caught up in past money-making misdeeds have not been poorly paid. I can't imagine Hansie was all that hard up, and Warne certainly wasn't underpaid (or for that matter underfed).

 

[fredfertang]

Yeah, exactly. A couple of people have offered the - I think rather plaintive - suggestion that it's all a fix up concocted after the event, which is highly unlikely on several fronts, but as I said, it is easy enough to confirm the date/time of a video like that, and having regularly employed this kind of sting, you'd think they'd make sure they did so. But even if they didn't, it is just very unlikely that Majeed would cooperate in some kind of scam who's endgame was getting himself arrested.

I've certainly stated we don't know both sides of this story and that for me the NOTW is not necessarily to be trusted - that said it doesn't look good I have to accept. As for Mr Majeed as he seems to be the sort of man who's available to the highest bidder so I'm sure he'd be happy to manipulate a situation against himself if his price for doing so were to be met

 

[Matt79]

I've always been suspicious but now I'm really starting to hate the idea of betting on sports in general.

Yeah, I wish gambling on sport (outside of horse-racing I suppose) didn't happen. But that's unlikely to be the case ever.

 

[Matt79]

I've certainly stated we don't know both sides of this story and that for me the NOTW is not necessarily to be trusted - that said it doesn't look good I have to accept. As for Mr Majeed as he seems to be the sort of man who's available to the highest bidder so I'm sure he'd be happy to manipulate a situation against himself if his price for doing so were to be met

So we mustn't leap to conclusions about the Pakistan players, but can form whatever conclusions we like about Majeed?

 

[G.I.Joe]

Maybe, but when you combine the size of the no ball with the fact that a no ball had been predicted / promised in advance for that specific delivery, you can read a great deal into it.

Oh I agree. I was just being facetious. I have been censured by Ding Dong and have now realised the error of my ways