It was amusing to see Pakistani cricketers and politicians veering around to, nothing has been proven, no one is arrested, no one is charged, not fair to jump to conclusions. But thats true to form. After the initial shock and fury, they have always resorted to this line so one would have been surprised only if they had done otherwise. What is irritating, however, is that the media is not able to challenge them beyond saying, "but how can you deny what you see on tape" and then shut up when they repeat, "No one has been charged" line once again.
But even that is not surprising for most of the TV anchors are only good for using sensational words not for going into the facts of the matter which are as under . . .
1. ICC can not take any action till the law of the land (England) has run its course. . . .
. . . and the law of the land is stymied.
2. Majeed Mazhar was let off on bail and no charges have been framed because there is no law that seems to have been broken !
Under British law for a case of fraud to be registered there has to be a party that has been defrauded. Someone ought to have bet on those balls being not being no-balls and hence lost money on account of a conspiracy between the players/Majeeed/whoever else. This did not happen because this was not a case of "spot fixing" as the idiots of the media have been crying hoarse from the beginning.
As I mentioned in an earlier post it was only Majeed trying to show the NOTW reporters, who he thought represented a far east betting syndicate, that he had leverage with the Pakistani players.
There WAS no betting involved.
He just took the money, said so-and-so over's so-and-so ball willl be a no-ball and delivered on his promise. All to show what he could do in the interest of FUTURE business possibilities with this "Betting syndicate"
Looking for a proof of fraud will of course result in no proof for their was no intention to defraud anyone !
Majeed never said any betting was taking place for on those no-balls. So where is the question of finding any proof of spot-fixing in those tapes.
3. No court of law in England can bring them to book and the Pakistanis having realised that have started "bulding thier defense" around this without bothering to go into the heart of the matter which is that Majeed could get players to do his bidding for money on the field of play. This was just a trailer of what he could do in future (or may have done in the past as he claims) for the benefit of new potential clients !
4. The ICC, once the law has run its course, can bring the players to book for bringing the game into disrepute etc etc but I could take a small bet that by then the Pakistani establishment would have talked so long and so with so much of damaged innocence, of "no law was broken, no match was fixed, there was no spot-fixing involved, no betting involved, no proof has been found, our players are innocent and so on and so forth.
The majority of the Pakistani public would have, by then, started believing this nonsense which completely ignores what actually happened and all sorts of conspiracy theories about attempts to malign Pakistan by its enemies will be brandished with impunity.
Unfortunately for Pakistan, for its cricket, and for the game in general this will be another tragedy.
But who cares after the sound and fury has spent its course.
Its business as usual for everyone.