Re: India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal fixing claims surface
To be honest, I think the match was not fixed by players, or certain individuals, but on the highest level. ICC, both cricket boards. I’m not talking about gambling, selling out the country, spot fixing, and other small-scale deals. Sort of like some of the fixes FIFA does in football. Subtle, yet effective. How could the top most people of the game let go of a chance for India (and some of their biggest players like Tendulkar) to win the cup, that too in their own backyard? This also doesn’t mean the Indian team was involved, they just came on for the very easy ride.
That’s not even bringing in the massive amount of money that was at stake, both via commercial deals and the billions that was at stake via betting. But like I said, it’s just suspicion at 1%. Even if I believe it so, it’s just minimum, even this recent news is not confirmation enough. Until and unless some more proofs float up, down the years, it’s not something people will take note of.
There is also a chance that it wasn’t fixed, just bad luck all round - the sheer amount of dropped catches, overall bad performance, and the LBW. And that’s not even talking about the brain-dead batting in the last few overs of the chase. But it’s just theoretical. Everyone is free to believe what they think. Me? I think the lack of pressure and intensity from Pakistan said it all that day. Save for Wahab Riaz and his 5 wickets.
Re: India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal fixing claims surface
Eh, think of it another way: Maybe Wahab did not want to be in on the ride? And that’s why he had to pay the price, still is paying the price. From what I’ve seen of the guy, he’s better than Cheema and Junaid, plus more reliable than Gul. Not to mention he can bat a bit as well. I remember only two involvements from Wahab in the spot fixing scandal. 1) First off pictures surfaced of him in the media at a restaurant/club where someone was showing him cash. 2) He and Trott had an episode during training a few days after.
If he was one of the guys directly linked to the scandal ICC would have been onto him, I am sure. Personally, I think the one guy who was most closely linked to the “sata group” got away clean - Kamran Akmal. For an outsider looking in, the former wicketkeeper looked like someone who was very close to the devil Salman Butt. That’s one reason why he is totally sidelined by PCB - just to be on the safe side, plus get away from the constant shenanigans of the Akmal brothers. Otherwise, I still think he could be playing as a specialist opening batsman in ODI/T20.
I still wish someone writes a nice little book few years from now, with juicy little details of the working of PCB as well as the spot fixing ring.
Re: India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal fixing claims surface
Great points rasied by PD.. the sad part is the increased suspicion amongst cricket fans everytime something happens that they think should not have happened.. but I don’t agree that this is OKAY or expected behaviour on our part.
The newspaper has no evidence, just a bookie talking big about what he can do. That IMO is not evidence. The bookies are always going to big up how connected they are. Mazhar was doing the same thing and I did not believe everything he said - until the phone call and txt transcripts with the players surfaced.
Regarding this particular game, there are many games when teams underperform due to pressure.. and things go wrong.. it would be stupid to blame match fixing everytime something like that happens.. Shoaib wasnt played cuz he was having fitness issues in the games leading up to the SF.. Misbah is OFTEN slow… Pakistan has always been a crappy fielding side so the drops are not a huge surprise. Afridi OFTEN gets out the way he did in that game.
Disappointed to see Southie bring up Dhoni’s slow batting.. and then saying that he does not mean to suggest match fixing, well Southie Uncle if you do not mean to suggest it, when why bring it up???
Other theories like “how could ICC give away this opportunity to give Sachin his WC” are just plain ol stupid.
Re: India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal fixing claims surface
I personally do not believe that Mohali was fixed.
To me, The ONLY doubtful aspect of that game (IMO) was sachin’s LBW. And that’s because it was so darn obvious out, Other than that,
-Pakistan dropping Catches wasn’t a red flag for me as they are very prone to do that.
-Umar going for runs (because he is not even 1/4th of an international level bowler when a batsman decides to take him on (I have had my doubts over Umar’s abilities to bowl in all three formats for over almost 4 years now)).
-Misbah’s batting, I was not surprised at that all as I have always believed that Misbah just doesn’t have stomach to put up fight and he just gets too nervous in demanding situations.
He believes in self-safety first and always plays in a way that he scores enough runs to look like a guy who “Somewhat” tried to do ‘Something’ and in process gets selected for next series/tour. He to me has never been the man of crisis or a limited over specialist that he is labeled. WC07 to me was a an occasion where in both games with india, he was in that self-preservation mode and was batting according to his own “first cover your own behind” method, and when he realized that he could have won those games for Pak, that’s when his in-ability to really push and finish the game off came into play and he got too nervous and did not finish the job. I have since right after those two games often laughed at the irony that he has been labeled as a finisher and T20 specialist.
Re: India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal fixing claims surface
Good post.
Re: Dhoni, I saw him in two matches in the tri-series. First one, he managed to eke out a wiin, and the 2nd a draw. Both times, he was ridiculously slow. He had me screaming at the laptop - I just could not figure out why he would use such a ridiculous strategy - go out of his way to increase pressure, and then count on his herooics at the end.
The thought did not enter my mind re: fixing, 'cause I really dont pay attention to that aspect of the game. (Still dont know all the players involved from Pakistan on the fixing scandal).
While reading this thread, the thought just came to my mind re: Dhoni - so I just expressed it. When it was pointed out he earns a lot in commercials, I acknowledged he probably is not guilty.
Somethimes in real time, one makes instant analysis - gustakhi maaf!
I’m not talking about gambling, selling out the country, spot fixing, and other small-scale deals. Sort of like some of the fixes FIFA does in football. Subtle, yet effective. How could the top most people of the game let go of a chance for India (and some of their biggest players like Tendulkar) to win the cup, that too in their own backyard? This also doesn’t mean the Indian team was involved, they just came on for the very easy ride.
Me? I think the lack of pressure and intensity from Pakistan said it all that day. Save for Wahab Riaz and his 5 wickets.
And that’s why he had to pay the price, still is paying the price. From what I’ve seen of the guy, he’s better than Cheema and Junaid, plus more reliable than Gul. Not to mention he can bat a bit as well. I remember only two involvements from Wahab in the spot fixing scandal. 1) First off pictures surfaced of him in the media at a restaurant/club where someone was showing him cash. 2) He and Trott had an episode during training a few days after.
For an outsider looking in, the former wicketkeeper looked like someone who was very close to the devil Salman Butt. That’s one reason why he is totally sidelined by PCB - just to be on the safe side, plus get away from the constant shenanigans of the Akmal brothers. Otherwise, I still think he could be playing as a specialist opening batsman in ODI/T20.