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Former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Amir (R) arrives at Southwark Crown Court in London. -Photo by AFP
LONDON: A British judge jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, two of his bowlers and their agent Thursday for their part in a fixing scandal which rocked the international game to its core.
Butt, 27, looked aghast as he was handed a 30-month term at London’s Southwark Crown Court, where he and fast bowler Mohammad Asif were found guilty Tuesday of fixing parts of the August 2010 Lord’s Test match against England.
Asif, 28, was jailed for a year, while prodigious 19-year-old bowler Mohammad Amir, who pleaded guilty to involvement in the scam to pre-arrange no-balls for shadowy South Asian betting rings, was sentenced to six months.
Their corrupt British agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, who had also pleaded guilty but claimed Butt had approached him to arrange the scam, was given the longest sentence — two years and eight months.
“These offences, regardless of pleas, are so serious that only a sentence of imprisonment will suffice,” judge Jeremy Cooke told the four men, adding that they would each serve half their sentences and then be released on licence.
He said the players were motivated by greed despite the large amounts of money they could earn legitimately, and said he hoped the sentences would deter other cricketers and agents from following their “hugely detrimental” example.
The judge also condemned what they had done to the sport of cricket itself, “the very name of which used to be associated with fair dealing”.
“It’s the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it which make the offences so serious,” he told the packed courtroom.
Its “image and integrity” stands “damaged in the eyes of all, including the many youngsters who regarded three of you as heroes”.
Despite their status, he said the players had “procured the bowling of three no-balls for money to the detriment of your national cricket team, with the object of enabling others to cheat at gambling”.
Any surprising event in a cricket match will now be suspect to suspicion, he said.
“In Pakistan, where cricket is the national sport, the ordinary follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities,” he added, saying corruption had become the “common culture” in the Pakistan side.
“You, Butt, Asif and Amir have let down all your supporters and followers of the game.”
The world of cricket has reacted with dismay to the worst fixing scandal since South Africa captain Hanse Cronje in 2000, but the head of the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council, Ronnie Flanagan, denied that corruption was rampant in the sport.
“The vast, vast majority of cricketers are not only wonderfully talented, but wonderfully ethical people,” he said.
The ICC has already banned Butt for 10 years with five suspended, Asif for seven years with two suspended, and Amir for five years straight after finding them guilty of corruption in February. They are all appealing the bans.
Cooke called Butt the “orchestrator” of fixing within the Pakistan team and said that given his “leadership status” and direct involvement with Majeed, he was “more culpable than either of your two bowlers”.
At her simple two-roomed home outside Islamabad, Amir’s mother Nasim Akhtar wept when she heard the sentence.
“My son is innocent and he did the no-ball at the asking of the captain,” she said.
His older brother Mohammad Ijaz said the family thought he would be released with a fine having pleaded guilty.
In the eastern city of Lahore, one of Butt’s sisters, Khadija, said the punishment was “unfair” and “shocking”, adding: “His crime is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Butt, whose wife gave birth Tuesday, intends to appeal, his lawyer said in London.
The scam was uncovered by the now-defunct News of the World, the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid shut down over a phone-hacking scandal in July.
But the judge said it was clear that Majeed, Butt and Amir had discussed fixing outside the NOTW sting, in which an undercover reporter paid Majeed 150,000 pounds ($240,000, 175,000 euros) to lay on rigged events.
Butt was told to pay 30,937 pounds, Amir 9,389 pounds, Asif 8,120 pounds towards the prosecution costs, money which is already in police hands. Majeed was ordered to pay 56,554 pounds within six months.
Majeed collected his suitcase as he as was led from the dock, while Asif nodded to a friend in the public gallery before disappearing down to the cells.
Bad news for bad people. Nice work…
How come almost everyone here is hellbent on declaring these players guilty and happy at the crucifixion of these young players??? Ok, they committed a mistake by accepting money and throwing the match. So that means they brought the game to disrepute. Punish them accordingly by handing them bans from the game. They all admit that cricket is their life so there's no better punishment than taking that away from them.
hi Rehman (US),
Do u know that Wasim Akram has done the fixing…dont be foolish man..he is the gr8 cricketer …and ideal for young fast bowlers…he invented many things like inswinging yorkers …early 90 when there was a lack of seemers for face bowlers…wasim bhai has changed the trend
They got what they deserve, never understood what qualified Salman Butt to lead Pakistani team??? Well Done British Justice System end result will be better cricket game in the future. I feel IPL could be another fodder for betting syndicate hence spot fixing will not be dead and gone.
Unforutnately "sub chalta hai" does not work in UK justice system.Friends of Defence Minister Mukhtar Awan are friendless in UK.
Allah ki lathi bey awaz hai.Those who plotted against World Cup winner Yunus Khan and player of the T20 Tournament, Shahid Afridi are in jail or hiding !!
Gr8t!!!! n really happy that justice prevailed today…. these rascals should have been hanged…
What a waste of talent of Mohd. Aamir… a prodigy .. unfortunately led on wrong track… I really feel sorry for this 19 yr old..
I feel PCB also needs to be dragged out and checked on cleanliness.. they are equally responsible for this.. Hope this is lesson for all the cricketers around the world…
- Vijay, Bangalore
The reason PCB allowed this to go on even though they were aware of it was they themselves are involved. The ISI makes money off fixing too. The Ind v Pak Semi-final was fixed. take another look at Misbah's batting in that match. Why did pakistan delay taking power play when it should have been taken when afridi and misbah were batting together.
They should be glad that they are not jailed in Rawalpindi jails, English jails are OK as good food. If Pakistan clean up more scandal players, they can win world-cup next time. Long live Cricket.
REgards,
Vasan, India.
It is mafia that attract players with money .verdict may caution
players but mafia that threaten people to kill or balckmail .how we can protect players from this ,nobody knows?
players are easy pray for the court,but the mafia that make millions,blackmail players is still around.the verdict does not resolve ultimate problem. Sorry to say that
I wish that Wasim Akram could be handed over the same punisment. We all know who and why we lost world cup when wasim akram was captain. So many matches were lost when pakistan supporters and public was praying for the team. I wish same could be done for Salim malik and Ejaz Ahmad. The other 2 big culprits.
This is a good lesson for all players in PAKISTAN team. We are sad to have lost the talent of Asif and Amir but then it will be good for the long run.
seriously guys, it is worth it?
why can we not make cricket and other sports a means of improving political and social ties, or an opportunity to demonstrate what a good sportsman should be or maybe just accept our nation indulges in corruption like no other
What these three players did was morally wrong.But I am extremely annoyed the way the whole saga took place. If it is true that the newspaper reporter set-up the whole thing than he is also as much guilty as these players.
No, the editor of that news paper is responsible,because he sent him to make that report, can anyone help you more and if we have some more inkling the family of that reporter could be interrogated why they produced such a bad man!. this is a British court, not any choudhry court.No place to hide!
As a Pakistani I feel sorry for their families, and particularly for the new born of Salman, but i don't have any sympathy for the players .They got what they deserved.Its a lesson for other players too.
I am glad the trial was conducted in London and the proper sentence was given to all of them, though i feel sorry for Amir, he is a victim of a corrupt leader. Only i can think of the 1999 world cup when the match fixing and gambling was on its peak and the world cup was sold to the bookies and these players including the captain betrayed the nation and the fans of cricket around the world. Only one or two players were banned but the main culprits were left and now the result came as a disgrace to the nation but it does not matter to the cricket patron of Pakistan because….
To all,
Good day for Pakistan Cricket. I say "good" because finally the cheats are caught and hopefully youngsters can learn from it.
As far as blaming the sting operation is concerned, I am not sure if I agree with some folks. If you do something wrong willingly, only you are responsible for your actions. The players could have easily said NO and reported it to ICC or Police.
To those who are blaming the justice system in England, I ask you to look in your backyard. If your own backyard is dirtier than your neighbor's, you have no right to complain. Pakistan's judicial systems is one of the worst in world. A killer is sentenced to death in a high profile case and lawyers are protesting in killer's defense. Give me a break.
I am pleased with the Verdict.
Thank you, Jeremy Cooke!
Its a shame that it has to be the ICC and England which has to punish these crooks, even though they have hurt our people and country so much. Its a shame that our own cricket board and government has done absolutley nothing to punish them when they have commuted a direct act of treason. Its an even bigger shame that another country has to set an example for our national crooks. It is the duty of the PCB and the Pakistan government to punish these crooks when they are done paying their time in England.
Pakistan has not yet learned that CHEATING is wrong.Shahid Afridi was caught on camera cheating when bitting the ball, in Australia, while the match was on.He has been welcomed back honourably in Pakistan team as a hero..What examples we are giving to the world.CHEATING will continue, unless our administrators right from the top are honest.Harsh statement but true.Do readers agree?
I think that ICC should reduce the sanctions on each players for as long the jail time. At least they will have something to look upto after captivity. I must say this, for a young mind like Amir's; this will be such a huge wake up. I can only expect that he will return with a sting that will rock the cricket world.
You reap what you sow; today this judgment (with a heavy heart) stood high towards setting expamples for others to follow the path of disgrace and greed. They made us proud in the past, yet they throw our glory and national pride to the abyss of utter shame for some few pounds….. Is this the money they ran after ?? Pak nation will never forgive you three muskeeteers.
Pakistan needs to wake up and realise what deep trouble it is in from all sides, be it politics and corruption within its own cricket team, big shame for the country in front of the whole world.
good legal system, british but what happened to imran farook killers–
i would like to see if botham was involved would british system would be consistent
i agree that all 3 boys were guilty no doubt about it–but would british system or jury would be consistent with fair decision if someone like botham or allan lamb were involved
something to think about
I'm glad this happened in the UK as otherwise these crooks would have been wandering free in their homeland. They deserved even harsher punishment as they managed to get away with relatively short prison sentence. Our so called cricket heroes have always been involved in such practices. The country has gone to the dogs.
Why to feel sorry? They did a huge crime and disgraced the whole country and very correctly deserve the punishment they got.
Taking into account the damagae this trio has done to the reputation of Pakistan, the sentences are pretty soft.They should be tried in Pakistan also.
Justice has been done.Now the judges have traced a link of the big fishes sitting in Dubai, England and India. Are the anti-corruption unit of ICC keen to eliminate those otherwise every drop catch,get out in nervous 90's or run out would be speculated as " fixing".Unless those " bg fishes " are not behind bars these betting or fixing will contnue perhaps with a different name.
Im amazed by the comments given by Butts sister that the punishment was “unfair” and “shocking”, adding: “His crime is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”. I mean, really??
Thanks to a just and fair law system in UK these individuals got what they deserve. I strongly believe that all of them were provided every opportunity to clear there names but they chose to be defiant and corrupt. All of them deserve a lot harsher sentence. I want to thank all of those individuals who helped in making an example out of these corrupt men. Long live UK justice system.
I read comment why wasn't other cricketers that had cheated before punished. Well, there wasn't anything in place at thattime in the ICC to prosecute players. This whole process is pretty new. Also, it has to noted that you have to have real good evidence (a smoking gun pretty much) to prosecute anyone or it a waste of time and money. These 3 guys unfortunately or fortunately, however you want to see it had to much evidence going against them. One of the three players plead guilty and gave evidence against the two. Where have you ever had this type of information to prosecute anyone before?
Why to feel sorry about these guys? The did a huge crime and got the justice.
That explains many things – how they used to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Kamran Khandropping catches in Australia, Afridi always failing to score when needed yet never dropped, Wasim and Saeed Anwer throwing away the 1999 world cup. If PCB is serious in rooting out corruption in cricket which has been tolerated for far too long it will find many skeletons in the closets to deal with.
while what the 3 did was wrong, UK has no business sending them to jail. Let them come back to pakistan and let pakistani authorities deal with them. At most, UK can ban them from getting a visa and ICC can and has taken action. What would have happened if 3 british players had been caught under similar situation in Pakistan? would they have been prosecuted under pakistani law?
And the way our TV channels have been playing Hindi songs while showing previous footage of the players and Majeed, is absolutely sickening..at a time when most of us have our heads bowed in shame, i fail to understand how media giants have the nerve to turn this into a cheap cringe-worthy, double entendre filled spectacle..these players have families and like every one else, they weren't born criminals..have some shame Pakistan..have some self-respect..stop dragging your own in mud..
We all feel for Amir but lots of bank robbers are poor too. So the agrument of being poor is a poor one. No pun intended. I heard excuses of it being a mistake/accident. It was well planned premediated. There are no excuses in this case. You do the crime, you do the time. The judge was pretty linient I think especially on Amir since he pleaded guilty. At least he did something right there. I hope he gets back on the field.
sentences are too short… they should have been put behind bars for atleast 7 years straight,
I feel this is another attack on Pakistan. The British have trying to undermine our cricket for years. People comming from Pakistan have no idea how the world works! Beware of British Bearing Gifts!
@Rob Kent: You wondered why more people here weren't lashing out at the British courts for this verdict?..well that's because the collective conscience of this nation is DEAD..you talked about extradition?..well bro,the law works both ways..or have you forgotten the powers-that-be who got Raymond Davis extradited after spilling the blood of OUR people on OUR soil?..we as a nation are so desperate to jump on the "enlightened moderation" bandwagon that we have lost our back bones..our government should have asked for an extradition of these players and tried them here..and for all of those who are be-moaning the fact that these players besmirched the name of our country abroad and congratulating the British courts for the upholding of justice?..well shame on you and shame on us.. they should have been sentenced in OUR courts, and should have served time in OUR jails.. they should have been extradited because their crimes were not politically motivated nor were they of a kind where these men could have been a harm upon the society…but we sat back and let the another country's judicial system become the judge, the jury and the executioners for OUR people..political and human emancipation much?
This is a great verdict. This could not have been possible in Pakistan where justice is mostly the servant of the ruling class.
The sacrifice of Amir as a great talent will go a long way because Pakistan has several Butt, Asif and Amir to come and we will be sure that this corruption will not take place again.
I feel really sorry for Aamir, an upcoming fast bowler from the subcontinent. Aamir should have definitely been spared with some fine. Hope he will bounce back and come back with greater vigour. My best wishes to him . Hope everything will be set right for Pakistan cricket.
So glad to see they have been sentenced to prison. They have, along with every single present and past player, authority is a corrupt person in Pakistan. I am so sad to see the nature of Pakistanis and how they have degraded their own land to such filth over the past decades. this is a very well deserved punishment, although not harsh enough, even though it wont make a tad of a difference for the present and future players to come and still do the same things for their personal gain. glad to see them away when they have such amazing natural talents and then they sell their souls without a care for their country, their people. hopefully the prison system wont be too leniant with these snakes.
How can a British court jail Pakistani Nationals? Have these 3 taken a British Citizenship? Or it's as always the might wins in international legal system?
If they are pakistanis, they should be tried in a Pakistani court. Since when Britishers punish pakistani nationals?
Hope someone will clarify this.
I guess Raymond Davis must be laughing on justice in the world. Like always it is easier to deliver justice to convict others. whole betting industry is running on these 3 player?? wake up and smell the Australian, english , indian …… but no they are clean as english smell
“In Pakistan, where cricket is the national sport, the ordinary follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities,” he added, saying corruption had become the “common culture” in the Pakistan side.
The judge has no business saying "corruption had become the “common culture” in the Pakistan side".
He should restrict his comments to the players involved. Three players do not represent the entire team. Can anyone sue him?
Jail is not enough they should be hanged
why they not transfer to pakis jail. My goverment shame on u.
PCB and ICC should try to rehabilitate these cricketers once they are out. Enough of the nonsensical comments "they got what they deserved". We are all human and make mistakes. These guys are being punished for what they did. Now its up to the ICC and PCB to help them. These guys give up education to be professional cricketers. Now their livelihood has been taken away from them.
And by the way heads should roll in the ICCs ACU. What were they doing when all of this was happening?
I dont feel bad for any player because they deserve this penalty.
Even after verdict Salman looks rude and no signs of sorry to Cricketing fans.
Bad news for Cricket fan…Bad news for Cricket world.
these guys cant balong to any country. They know only one thing that is money. This penalty looks mild to me it should be more stringent. This thing is happening from years.
If you are real sports fan don't show any feelings for such players
Thanks to the judge but No Thanks. If I were the judge I would have handed all 3 corrupt players a Life In Prison without any bail out. Request to UK, please investigate Kamran Akmal as he is the Cancer of PCB, please hang him til death.
player were sentencee bad news for all cricket lovers n for pakistan.. the deserve more then this…..the whole country ashamed for cricket player like these
These cricketers has caused the bad name of Pakistan and disgraced the whole nation.A strict legal action should be taken against these mean people and given them high code of criminal punishment as we giveing them huge respect a handosome amount which bring them elite class even they not take bribe still inspite of all this they have done this then we should not be soften with then and shoe the world our better image that we can also do accountability taht we have not able to done for last 6 decades unfortunately
Salman as Captain of Pakistan cricket team should have been a role model for young Pakistanis. Just like Imran Khan, Majid Khan, and javid Mainded were from me. Salman Butt has betryed and disgraced Pakistan. He should after he has served his sentence in Uk be put on trial in Pakistan for TREASON
It is sad and unfortunate that three Pakistan players are being blame for spot fixing and betting. However,in reality other cricket playing countries SOME players were involved in the past and SOME present one are easily got away. This is only due to lack of Govenmental and BCCP support. where these three fools got be the GUINEA PIG!
My young brother 7 yr old came back from London school, crying because of the taunts from other boys concerning Pak cricketers.
I hope that Salman Butt gets a good beating from other Pakistanis and muslims in Uk prision.
Well judged but they deserved more jail time because in England I believe they count days and night both and that will cut down the time to half of what actually they have been awarded.
There should be an investigation by Scotlandyard about Ejaz Butt also.I am sure he would be found guilty of misdeeds as well.
Guilty or not guilty. The fiasco is based on a sting operation by the defunct News of the World, which is under serious accusations of wire tapping & more.Murdoch FBI is looking into the allegations. The testimony is questionable.The jail sentences are too harsh and deserve revisions.
They got what they deserved
We all should learn from our mistakes. Now that these three have paid the price for their wrong doing, other players must take this as a lesson, work hard and play competitive international cricket for Pakistan.
what a disgrace to Pakistan they should rot in jail they got what they deserve
Well judged
Pity on the people who have any kind of sympathy for these players and feel like it was unfair or biased to punish these cricketers. Just think how much damage they have done to Pakistani cricket, the whole Pakistan nation, and indeed the Islam religion. I was a diehard fan of Pakistani cricket from very childhood and this episode along with all other bad things done by Pakistani cricketers have hurt me and millions of fans like me badly, I don’t even watch Pakistani cricket match anymore. There is no excuse for them what they have done. I agree with people comments that these peoples are grown up in a society where majority of people are trying to make quick money by hook or crook and can get away with it easily. But when you are playing for your country you are representing your nation as a whole and presenting your country to the whole world. By this action they let the whole nation down and give shame to all the fan and country people. I personally think that any of them should never let play cricket again and get severe punishment in jail.
Jail term for spot fixing?? and who are english to punish
pakistani players .. this is ridiculous.. Pakistani board should punish pakistani players not the english board. Show some balls Pakistani board.. they havent killed any body to hurt any body to get a jail term for GOD sakes..(sorry for them – From Indian cricket fan..)
Please Please ban these cricketers for life time for any form or professional game, domestic or international. We need to take this oopportunity and do it right the first time and set standard.
Shame on you guys, for making us Pakistani's feel this way, yet again, Embarrassed as hell !
UNFORTUNATE escape GOATS!
Its a fair and justified decision to all four of them.It was sheer greed that made them do that, there is no excuse to what they did. Even Amir, for who most feel sorry as he is young and might have been pressurized or threatened or whatever, is not a kid. If he knows how to play cricket and earn money, he surely knows that earning this way is just wrong. There is no excuse for their actions. Unfortunately, we as a nation, most of the time are reluctant to accept the truth, which is now clearer that ever.
this is a filthy act of betrayal to their whole nation, fans across the world, to the once called gentleman's sport and above all to their families. They earned it for themselves and will live with it for the rest of their lives, punishment enough i guess ! and a good lesson to all the youngsters.
I was watching Kishore Bhimani in an Indian TV talk show, and he was very correct in saying that jail is a very harsh decision (if it was to be). I totally agree with him. What actually should have been done is that all three should be sacked and banned for ever with a very heavy fine! Jail is no way an acceptable punishment for such a crime. And for those of you batting for Aamir. Talent or no talent, offender is an offender…Sad day for cricket as such…
The penalty is mild. they should have bee put behind bars for a longer time and amount recovered, for they have brought bad name to the country which gave gave prominence to them. shame on the guys.
The Billion dollars benifiters in India are scott free, Pakistani Players are conviniently implicated by British / Indian Pressure..The War on Terror / Western Justice System has again managed to malign Pakistan..In what Justice System in the west Can a Judge pressure / Imply to a Jury that he would take a 10-2. In other words telling the Jury to hand down a Guilty Verdict.. In any other court, most of the evidence would have been inadmissible…
Justice has been delivered. Hats off to English judicial system for punishing cheats for letting down Pakistani nation. Pakistan system and its Iftikhar Chaudris could have done nothing. Our judicial systems is the one where sucicide-bombers-to-be are exonerated after security officials catch them after putting their own lives at risk. Then these hell-seekers kill hundreds of innocent Pakistanis. So again salute to british system. If I were Zardari, I would have taken Ijaz Butt, Yawar Saeed, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Wahab Riaz and any other person involved to the court. I am 100% sure these four crooks are also involved. Now is the time to act -or do we want these gentleman also to be tried in English courts ????
I Respect the court decision .the British court give the right decision regarding spot fixing case.this is a example for those are doing match fixing……….
I am Indian and was curious to see the reaction in Pakistan. Reading through your comments I am really impressed with the grace with which people in Pakistan seem to be reacting to this terrible scandal.
As you know, we in India have our share of corruption (to put it mildly) and, no doubt, in the totally commercialized cricketing world too. Hopefully, this event will be a deterrent though somehow I doubt it.
In any case, I truly hope to see young Amir come roaring back to the top where he belongs. He will bring joy to us in the IPL no doubt.
In my opinion, length of the sentence doesn't matter as such- It's the precedence this verdict has created which is important.
Has this ruling changed Pakistani cricket for better forever? Can we become #1 again?
Whatever comes out of Pakistan, is just bad. Whether it was a Bank specialised in money laundering, nuclear prolifieration, sending terrorists across the border to India, bilking USA in billions of dollars for being a friend to the cat as well as safeguarding the milk, and now cricket match fixing. Their dubious behaviour encompasses all spectrums of life, and their shouting moral statements in forums sound hollow. Any decent Pakistani is ought to be ashamed of his nationality. Hope things will improve and sooner the better.
A justified outcome to a truly embarassing episode.
They deserve their sentences, including Amir. They all knew what they were doing and were driven by greed. Instead of thinking about how fortunate they were to be blessed with the talent and opportunity that much of our nation only dreams about they wanted more and were willing to sell their nation to get it.
I wish our own Pakistani judicial system was only as effective.
NAB and FBR should be looking at the assets of these criketers and should confiscate the assests made with illegal money.
I will try to redirect the sentiment a little bit here. These three culprits went to UK, hired lawyers and spent a lot of money (ill gotten!) to risk financial penalty and jail time. They may have had option to not go to UK at all and face a sham trial in Pakistan where the mob would protest in the street that they are innocent. They were victim of Zionist/Western/Indian conspiracy and would have gotten off the hook. I think they took a chance to get as less sentence as possible; accept the guilt in the end and try to come out of this and restart their life. At least here I give them som points.
Accusations, trials, doomed…..fine! I strongly condemn the crimes they were involved in, but simultaneously I firmly believe that had there been any other player involved from AUS, ENG or IND, the consequences would have been totally different….given the dazzling lure and "To err is human", I still love them and long live Pakistan Cricket!!!!!!!!!!!
No words are left to describe the offence committed by the cricketers. Their crime is a reflection of our society, which is passing through a worst period in our history.
We should not lower our morale as a Nation, & continue to do the best we could in our capacity to restore National pride. Eventaul winners will be the honest people of Pakistan!!
Indeed a very painful for all of us living abroad & hear all sorts of comments from different nationalities living around us
The pakistani crikets behaved like munafiqs ( Hypocrites). Thanking God and praying on the field was just a photo opportunity for them. They have betrayed the Pakistani Public , and not even a word of applogy for their actions to the Pakistani Public ! and yet people feel sympathy for them.
PCB is responsible for all this, big Institution running by uneducated people they dont know how to educated your players/staff before going to any tour. These playere were trapped by these gones.
What is code of conduct and what is legal and illegal an ordinary pakistani does'nt know this when they went to another country specially developed country where laws are strickly enforced.
A recent example one of pakistan was bringing over 100,000 US$ from india and got caught and he does'nt know the law that you can't carry that sum of money and its called "Smuggling".
Personally I have gone this kind of situation without knowing its leagal or Illegal and again an un-educated person asked me to do it.
Some one say exactly right "Its better to have Intelligent enemy then a stupid friend".
Although, being a die hard Indian fan…i hated Asif's vicious spell when India were touring Pakistan but i still see it on youtube for such a mesmerising spell of swing bowling by that guy , i still remember Salman butt's innings at BCCI golden jubilee invitational match and his strong and wristy off side strokes. But today i am felling very sad for Asif, Butt and Mostly for Amir. I mean Amir, what a talent that guy was. ALL WASTED NOW.
It is great that the players have been caught red handed and punished.
It will be greater still if the ex-colonial powers maintain cleanliness when they deal with despots, dictators, arm dealers and the like who siphon out huge amounts of third world money in to their financial institutions.
@Rob Kent
Then Tony Blair must be tried for war crimes in Iraq? YES/NO?
I dont understand why they be tried and sentenced in UK .they should be sent to pakistan for trial or sentence,as they are pakistani citizens not british citizens shame on PCB and pakistani govt for this .look what USA did for a criminal like Raymond davis who was US citizen.moreover,this is just the tip of the iceberg as the common knowledge is that every cricket team is some how involved in these kind of fixing in one way or other as Mr majeed told in his testimony.but no body pay heed to the crimes of big fish ,only small players are caught and nothing in this verdict is said about the the world wide network of fixing matches
Very relevant point!
Whether Tony Blair and George Bush and company should be tried for breaking the law/laws or not,these people did any illegal activity or not. This is the fundamental question.Whether some body else did something wrong and was not caught does in no way gives lisence to these boys to do what they did. Problem with Pakistanis is that "Pakistan or a Pakistani can do no wrong".
When will we realize that now the whole world knows it all. When will we admit it, or will we ever? It is always somebody else's fault never ours!
You must be Joking . Brit like to set example by punishing others. I guess whole betting industry will stop to work now since these 3 are sentence. yeah right. I wounldn't be surprise if judge was handed over payment by mafia to sentence these 3. any doubt??????
No you can not touch the untouchable , tony bush and Dick chenney
What has a politician who has not, lets face it, even been visible in the media for years got to do with three greedy cheats?
what are you talking about…lets not mix up things & accept that our country has been let down & will agree that this punishment is a warning for all others not to fell in this mud where there is no come back & all get black faces for their country…bad day..i am ashamed of all these 3 players..& hope in future all our players don't do such act & think about country…
Yes along with bush, cheney, rumsy, rice……
I wish we could do the same with our politicians. For a £10,000 it's 6 months. People with several millions should have been in prision for > 10 years at least.
My comments gets deleted quickly here, funny how a paper cannnot handle truth
I appeal to the government of Pakistan to immediately revoke the citizenship three black sheeps of Pakistan cricket, who have dealt such a severe blow to the image and reputation of the country, that entire Pakistani nation is forced to hang its head with shame.
These cricketers should be treated like traitors. Plus the comments of crown prosecuting service, about PCB and the confirmed relations of its very senior tour management officials with infamous match fixer Mazhar Majeed, must be investigated by a Supreme Court judge, to weed out black sheeps once for all from PCB as well.
In my opinion its a fit case for suo moto action by the superior judiciary, because the name of Pakistan has been very badly tarnished, by the former PCB officials, in connivance with match fixers and players.
No way players can be involved in crimes of such magnitude in isolation and without the connivance of PCB tour management.
Justice has been served.As much as this verdict saddens most of us but gives us hope that this case will be lesson not only for these 3 idiots but for the entire uneducated cricket team and corrupt PCB board. although corruption and greed is somthing these poor guys Were inherited from our system, PCB, politicians and their elder cricketers. Not to forget that many of our senior cricketers like waseem akram, waqar yunis, saleem malik and many others were not so innocent they are were just lucky and perhaps were smart who never become victim like these 3 idiots. whats sad is why only pakistani became a victim where we all know this phenomena is spread out thrnough out entire cricket body among all ICC participated teams and its big time.
Greed is a curse… these 3 idoits will sure learn the meaing of this saying hard way but the right way. Jail time is important becasue we have seen in past from their elder mates that fines are not enough punishment. So good luck and I hope these 3 idoits will come back changed after serving their time and should be given oppertunity in the team to shine again.
I pretend this event the darkest one in history of Pakistan Cricket,however somewhat happy on sympathy treatment with M. Aamir who is no doubt a star – no alternate of this natural talent can fill the gap. For others, I would say that habitual ones and those corrupting others should be punished, so they have been.
I am really happy that these culprits got what they deserve. Actually I would say they should put in prison for life when they return to Pakistan for the disgrace they brought to Pakistan.
For what it is worth, I don't think that this reflects primarily on the three cricketers, not on Pakistan. The newspaper involved in exposing this has since been closed as a result of a phone-hacking scandal. But it had a good reputation for exposing corruption and injustice, even though the methods that it used were themselves at times illegal. I don;t think it was in this instance.
I think that the News of the World went for these three because they had reason to think that they would accept bribes. I have no doubt that it would have been a far bigger story here in the UK if they had been able to catch an English player on the fiddle.
Pakistan is a great cricketing nation (a great nation full stop). It will bounce back from this and I know I speak for many when I say we look forward to the next tour to England. Pakistan's cricket will be stronger as a result of this, not weaker.
Ijaz Butt should be investigated in light of the investigations . He is the bigger fish , catching the small fish makes no difference. I do not believe that he did not know what was happening under his nose. SHAME PCB , SHAME.
You are harbouring criminals like these 3 and you are going scott free ??? where is the justice in that
I was saddended to hear this news about the punishment of our three cricketers. Many have expressed their views in quite anger. Don't forget we all live in a corrupt society and dishonesty attract to almost major part of the Nation. As Imran Khan commented that top man of Pakistan is corrupt more than anyone else and the list goes down. I only request my fellows to not give hatered comments towards these three cricketers. Afterall they are also part of the same society. Of course one cannot simply justify their committed crimes, but I would at this stage be very sympatheic to the familes of these unfortunate cricketers who had their long future in front of them which they could have lived with dignity but they chose otherwise. I now wish them courage to pass this difficult time behind the bars and come out as noble personalities and turn out to be good models for thier country cricketers. I wish them Allah's protection and wisdom.
Not enough price for selling their share of Pakistan, I am so shocked that not a word from commentators that they sold Pakistan, shame on those trying to protech them
These guys grew up in an environment where everybody, top to bottom, wants to make a 'quick buck'. People who are caught, go scot-free if they are top-notch and if not, they have examples made out of them.
Lets not forget though that News of the World, the very newspaper that was behind this sting, is now defunct because it itself was up to no good.
Where does one draw a line and how?
My Friend the head of the gang Butt is the most educated. It is only greed if honesty would have prevailed then even the most ignorant and Illiterate would have not thought for this kind of a crime. They have sold their conscience and their country both please for Allah sake don't feel pity for them.
I couldn't agree more. New riches at any cost runs from our leaders to players. What I hate to see is when some writers make excuses for the guilty players. Let us take Amir. Does his gross lack of education give the license to cheat, steal, and disgrace the nation? Crying out loud, nearly 60 percent people in Pakistan are illiterate. Should they have my sympathy if they steal? No way. It does not matter what because when you are caught red handed stealing you should be punished as heavily as possible. Amir is no angel, he did all this with his total knowledge and consent. If I was the judge I would have punished him the most. The simple solution is any politician civil servant or players etc. who steals and plunders should quickly be deprived the use of his/her right hand.These people continue to disagrce my once proud country and should be punished mercilessly. Imran Khan's sympathetic attitude toward Amir has really shocked me. Is it real Imran Khan or a politician? But I hope he wins next election and eliminates the ills of my degrading society. Makes sure to inject some pride and diginity in the people of this great nation. Alas, with the passage of time we are becoming slowly but surely a nation of cheaters and criminals.
As Imran said, I paraphrase, the whole country from Mr 10% downwards is corrupt. So these 3 guys think it's par for the course to do something illegal and make a mega buck. What they did not reckon with was the UK judiciary which is not in the pocket of politicians. They've let everyone down, but they are not the only ones. Come on bring out the Akmal brothers, Wahab Riaz and probably many more and clean up the act. Isn't it overdue? While you're at it, try Mr 10% and his cronies.
that doesnt mean they go around doing crimes like this . Stop defending them – its great they have been sent to jail. They should have gone down for more years and life bans
not to condone what the players did but since the whole case was built through an unauthorized sting operation by a newspaper reporter puts the whole prosecution in a dubious situation. this aspect was missing from even the defense lawyers! match fixing is not new, it's going on for years. among prominent whistle blowers were Rashid Latif and before him Basit Ali and before him the forgotten opener Qasim Omer, see! the few unlucky ones like these three are caught others thrive on. it looks so organized and alluring that i doubt if it is going to be stopped any time. why i say this because sentencing Hansie Cronje, the first big casualty of this crime could not stop the fixers.
what the hell…what more proof do you want that these players were involved(hello there is a video recording)…on the contrary, the whole world knows now that Pakistan is the most corrupt nation in the whole wide world. it is a big shame to be called pakistani now!!
Its actually shame on Pakistan Cricket Board – they let this happen under their noses since 1995. If they acted this trio woudl not have had brough such disgrace to the nation. The line had to start someday and its just too bad that it started with young Aamir. but justice has to be served swiftly and to full accord. i hope the cricters take a lesson from this insted of just inventing new ways to cheat.
At last, bad action leads to worst re-action, they will punish for lifetime prison so that no body do it again in future.
May Allah give us strength, courage to do our work with good faith and in the best interest of out motherland
Long Live Pakistan.
Good news for world cricket but bad news for Pakistan nation as a whole,but so for as the corruption in the whole world cricket is concerned it is not only Pakistan which is to be made scapegoat but there are some other big fishes in the cricket field which too should be brought to the forefront so that this disease could be eliminated once for all. The Pakistan government should also take steps to provide the basic facilities to the players and the moral education and training.
What don't we learn from our mistakes and find the reasons of our decline in every facets of life? Please don't say that this is jewish or western conspiracy against us !!! We get what we do.
Yes,
if they have done they should be punished. the palyers who are in the every team of the world should be punished, so that people will believe and trust in court decision that the court is not biased.
People are waiting for the ohters so that we can make our mind that they are not biased.
Yes, it is very important that Pakistan should not be the only one apprehended, prosecuted and found guilty. All ICC members countries need to identify and follow suit now! What an idea!
Justice has served! I'm glad Butt & Asif were sentenced as they purely deserved. But on the other hand I feel really sorry about Amir as he was a newbee in this game and his natural "ignorance" led him to where he is today. I hope he re-emerges after his ban 'coz he is one of the best we have seen so far.
The young man was not a newbee, the Judge said quite clearly that he had lied to the Court.
It was not natural ignorance but pure and simple greed.
While the three cricketers deserved the punishment, my question is; would the quantum of punishment been the same had cricketers from say, England or Australia been involved in match fixing?
Definitely NOT
Not really…the Aussies/Brits wouldnt even had been tried and everything would have een swept under the carpet. Shane Warne and Mark Waugh escaped with fines for providing some information to the bookies. Shane Warne took illegal drugs in 2003 and got away with it-and he has the gall to question Murali's action!!!
Yes
The punishment would have been very mild.
I remember a British nurse who killed her colleague in Saudi Arabia was released from prison and brought back to england.
The intensity of punishment is proportional to the colour
Obviously not, proven by ICCs lact of any reaction to claims by Mazhar Majeed that Australians are also invovled (He also named a player) and knee jurk reaction to investigate kamran Akmal from Pakistan because he was also named by the fixer.
Yet again Pakistanis (overseas) have found a way to embarrass the whole of Pakistan. The sentence handed to them is fine with me but investigations should be made by ICC in other matches as well. This practice of Spot-Fixing was neither invented by Pakistanis nor is only practiced by them.
Surely the darkest day of my life as a Pakistani cricket fan.
As the saying goes; you are guilty if you get caught. Players from all the countries are involved in fixing to some extent but these sting operations are designed (with ICC) to target certain sections of cricket community. This was done to subdue rebelious PCB in particular and to harm Pak cricket further in general. There are people in ICC and some cricket boards that just won't miss such an opportunity to malign Pak cricket. Corrupts have now come out with all the guns blazing against the guilty and Pak cricket.
Yes,
if they have done they should be punished, the other criminals who are almost in very team should be punished, so that people will believe and trust in court decision and make their minds clear that court is not biased.
Those who are worried about image of Pakistan should not worry. Its already too tarnished that these cheats will put a cognizable blot
Sad day for Pakistan because it further tarnishes the image of a cricket loving nation. God knows what was going through their minds when they were committing this crime. The players have let down their country. Having said that, they are lucky it wasn't 7 years behind bars…but even 1-2 years is enoug for them to think about what they have done. Life in prison is not easy. I hope they understand what has happened.
Dear Judge Cook,
Thanks for doing us a favor by sentencing these corrupt people. This would have never happened here in Pakistan as they would have gotten away by bribing and through their contacts. You have shown to the whole world that accountability and rule of law is the rockbed of any civilized society. God Bless UK and God bless Pakistan- A true Pakistani!
True, this will also never happen in india especially against cricketers. I wish all players from all nations learn from this.
I agree with true Pakistani cngratulating Sentencing Judge Cook. Judge was linient w
Butt and Asif deserved twice the sentence. It is true if this sort of incident had happened then not only
These criminals would have got away with out any problem but would have been praised by currupt officials of cricket board and judiciary.Thanks to god they ended up in a civilzed honest country United Kingdom.
Long live Queen Nd God bless United Kingdom
Thank you Judge cook. I agree with you 100% as these players were rotten apple of our team who could have corrupted other player. Some time right amount of punishment is the only recipe to prevent things from happening in future.
Asad you must have gotten a british passport recently? Get ready to clean the Heathrow airport toilets with other desi.
Why don't you ask the British justice to deliver justice on Tony Blair case ( real criminal of war, which have taken hundreds of thousands innocent life of kids and women.
What do you say to British justice now?
Amir – what a talented guy he is. I have never seen Ricky Ponting or Gautam Gambhir struggle against any other bowler than Amir. I am sure that these 3 will never make to Pakistani side. What a waste of talent!
They deserved what Judge Cooke handed to them.The country is already a laughing stock in the international arena, now a pariah in the world of sports,unbridled lust for wealth,lack of unblemished leadership at the top of the government, all contribute to our moral decay.
Another shameful day for us,but the thing is why only Pakistanis what about other countries players who are definitely involve in such activities?Any way let it be a warning and lesson for others.My all sympathies are with their families.
Dreadfully unfortunate!!Really sad to see players whom we love get involved in such situations.Any I still love them.Love to watch them playing.Such talents!!
Long Live British Justice System.Here, we would have let them go free.
Sure if they will have the guts to punish an Indian or Australian player in same circumstances. From past experience they will not and usually run and hide when any allegations are made against these two countries.
These three got what they deserved. I am surprised at some of my countrymen's comments that PCB should have brought them back so that they could not be tried in England. Nonsense! Do you think they would get a serious trial in Pakistan? Some influential bigwig or other would have intervened and they would have been let off. It's been four years since the attack on the Sri Lankan team that brought shame to Pakistan. Has the report still been released and has anyone been punished?
I also don't agree with those who excuse these three by saying that other countries have their corrupt cricketers too and that these three have somehow been victimized by being arrested. This amounts to arguing that unless you catch all thieves you should not catch any.
i must say one thing here Most Corrupt person is still here and he is Kamran Akmal.
He must be in jail with all of them.
he is the most most currupt / Culprit person in the Cricket team
So please ICC,Scotland Yard,Anti corruption Unit must took necessary action against him
Regards,
Pakistani Awam
totally agree with you, got saved out..he has been into this dirty game from long but lucky to get safe all times….
I am not stunned at the verdict of the Britain court, rather I am much content. The shame and humiliation they brought to Pakistan is enough to put them behind bars.
The current situation of Pakistan is miserable, just because of this corruption and avarice. This verdict is a lesson for the sports sector in particular and for the whole nation in general.
Its a good decision as they have done a crime n their fans all over the world especially pakistani are disappointed………..We request the authorities to release AAMIR
Not enough jail time. The judge should have made an example out of these guys.
I do not have any objection on the decision. Infact, it should have been much harder but why only Pakistanis being victimized? What about other bigger culprits in almost every team?
You need to understand the difference between JUSTICE & Victimization!!!!
In this case justice has been served, thank God for this as it would have never happend in our land. Think what Govt has done so far to unearth other memeber or even inquire about their assets? Its a shame, absolute disgrace…..
Shsssssssh. ahista bolo koi sun le ga
I'm English and interested to see reaction to this in Pakistan. I feel that those asking why Pakistani players are 'victimised' miss the point. It seems likely that most other nations don't have as many, if any, match-fixing players as Pakistan. This is not because they are better people – we are all born the same – but because the legitimate rewards for playing are better everywhere else, and the consequences of being caught much worse, as has been shown here. But until the Pakistani players get rewarded by their own Board, by IPL etc. for contracts for playing, if they have to 'cheat' to afford to buy their house and feed their kids, then that is what some will be tempted to do. Indian players have no need to cheat. They are all millionaires anyway; why cheat?
Amir might get a bail as hearing is starting now and taking place behind closed doors. Amir will be brought up from the cells to attend it …but he should get some lesson
Justice well served! Bravo UK judicial system for the examplary but due punishment…
Hey Mr Big fan of english justice. what about Your stinky Tony blair ? He must be your war crime Hero. get you head from your behind and see which justice it this
I agree: Justice well done by UK Judiciary System. However, can they take suo moto cases against corrupt politicians of Pakistan who have kept illegally earned money in UK & swiss banks?
They put the bad image of Pakistan on All over the world.
Like it wasn't bad already,
PS All those commenters who say they should have been tried in Pak: you are tried where the offence is committed. Similarly, if I came to Lahore on holiday and robbed a bank but made it back to the UK with money, Pakistan would extradite me to face trial there because that is where the crime was committed.
Well i'm not sure about robbing the bank, but if u came to Lahore and murdered two people with your pistol in cold blood in broad daylight on a street, and killed a third one by hitting him with your car, you are surely going to be released by the Pakistani courts. And ofcourse if you were a US citizen, the Saudis would be more than willing to pay for the blood money to the relatives of the people you killed. What's more, the Government of Pakistan would pay for a chartered plane to take you out of the country. So next time, dont restrict yourself to the robbery
Oh, and did i mention i agree with the decision of the court? Well , infact, the decision should have been a bit harsher. A 100 years in jail and confiscation of all their property would have been a fairer decision. Anyways, bravo to the Judge Jeremy Cooke of Southwark Crown Court!
Fair enough. But that applies to westener's who commit crimes in Pakistan as well. When Raymond Davis commits the crime in Pakistan, he should have been tried in Pakistan. Why double standards??
Indeed, but sometimes things work differently.
Case in point – Davis the US citizen who committed double murder in Pakistan and is now safely roaming the streets of Florida!
Interesting to read your comments. I came on here expecting to see lots of comments complaining that it was all a setup and that they had been picked upon by the British justice system, but most of the comments say they got what they deserved and that it is part of a wider malaise.
However, I have another question: someone mentioned before the trial that someone like Mohammad Amir may have been pressured by his team mates or a mafia betting group and that his family may have been threatened if he refused to go along with it. Don't you think that should have been investigated and he should have been given a more lenient sentence if it was true?
I agree with the other comments that these guys are already stars with the potential to earn fortunes over their careers from inside and outside cricket. Was it just greed that made them do it?
I am sure they investigated all aspects before coming to the decision. If something doesn't get printed in the media doesn't mean it never happened. The sentences alongwith the fines are good lesson for these and the rest.
Rob,
these guys should have been given severe punishment. 6 months to 30 months jail seems mild and clement.
Yes it was thier greed that forced these fellows to commit such shameful act.
i dont think Aamir or his family was threatened; there is certainly no mafia of this sort. he made it up to look sympathetic and i am glad the judge found out that he was makign it up. If cricketers could be pressured to do this sort of thing, they would'nt be paid so heavily to do it in the first place. There are examples with the likes of Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar & Razzaq who aknowledged that they haev refused such invitations. They seem to be doing fine.
To Rob Kent. On your question "Don’t you think that should have been investigated and he should have been given a more lenient sentence if it was true?"
The simple answer is "No" because that was not the matter of the court case. I am hoping that the ICC, or some other relevant authority, take this case as a stepping stone and investigate this matter further. Mazhar mentioned another cricketer who was with Butt when negotiations first started. Who is he? Retracing the tons of clues unearthed during this investigation should open up a pandora's box.
Rob
You make a good point here that this entire thing should have been backtracked to families and homes of these people but the question is who would have done it? there is a trust deficit in pakistani judicial and investigative systems (for right reasons or the wrong) which would have hampered the trial in southwark court. Nevertheless,justice is served and fairness does demand sympathy but certainly no empathy to young Amir who will now be hosted in Feltham young offenders institute. I hope his 6 months there does any good to him and ICC pardons rest of the ban to him to be able to be back in pakistani cricket squad, if not a better player but certainly as a better person
Can anyone ask Pakistan high commissioner in UK about his remarks on this episode.. and his conspiracy theory . Is he not guilty by defending culprits with the evidence were so clear..
what a badnews ! But as a whole nation it's my opinion we are in a postion to defend our every wrong doing.In every field of life our image shattered What a nation or mob we are?
I disagree. We are not the only nation granted we have few bad apples(ok fine lot more then few) But the name of the game is not to get caught. We should learn how to cheat from US bankers who robbed over trillions of Dollars from tax payers in USA and yet the Bankers are good people.
Don’t be so hard on your self Mr Iqbal
I think the High-commisioner's stupidity is punishment enough for him. There is nothing that can be legally brought against him since he didn't exactly commit perjury i.e., lie under oath in a court and then again, there's the issue of Diplomatic Immunity.
I feel sad for Amir! Pakistan has a history of great fast bowlers, it was great to see another one emerging in young Amir , it's a pity that such a promising career has been cut shot. Asif has always had problems but also a great talent, sad to see him being a victim to drugs and now spot fixing. No Sympathy for Butt he got what was coming to him … A lot of talent but no one ever seems to keep a level head or direct youngsters in Pakistan! Just goes on to prove what a great leader Imran Khan was, to have brought sanity in the ambiguous and troubled world of Pakistani cricket.
All of them were deserved for what they have done. Pakistan Cricket Board should ban them for life so that they can be role model for young ones.
They got what was coming to them. The real story here is how Pakistani authorities utterly failed to take action when they had the chance, after the evidence was plain for all to see. Instead, we had the high commissioner and the PCB defending these crooks and magnifying the humiliation to Pakistan tenfold. That is precisely the attitude that perpetuates such behaviour. Have they learned a lesson? Frankly, I doubt it.
I feel for the young guy Amir. his career had not even started. I feel what he did was wrong – but a fine would have but enough. He's a poor guy and needed all the money he could for his family I guess.
I hope he gets chance in cricket again and makes amend. Please IPL or others give him a chance and let him earn his due.
Although justice is served, I would now like to appeal to judge Jeremy Cooke to grant bail to Amir after making him serve sentence for 30 days or less. The whole world of cricket is really sad to see this most exciting talent getting influenced by his greedy leader and seniors and bowing down to the young bad portion of his soul. I have been following his comments and attitude and I believe he has learnt his lesson through the huge embarrassment his action brought to his family and country and given an opportunity he will come back to ensure he wipes the muddy tracks off his back with the goodness of his character. The talent he is blessed with would help the whole world forgive and forget about this unfortunate episode. On behalf of all cricket lovers of the world I also appeal to ICC for reducing his ban to a considerable length in order that the cricket world does not lose the opportunity to enjoy this youngster's fire and beauty as a most exciting fast bowling.
Yes I would be happy to see a bowler of Amir caliber in IPL
Cricket is just a game . One can still forgive considering his age
Is it impossible to prove the charges against politicians ? Who does million times more damage to the people . Excuse me when an honest politician read this
'He’s a poor guy and needed all the money he could for his family I guess.' – Thats how crime usually starts and then greed takes over….They needed money, it is how he choose to 'get' it.
@ Naveen:-
WHHAAT? so according to you if someone is poor that gives them the right to cheat and steal? OR should be praised for his dishonesty? What you are on? Don't forget HE GOT CAUGHT or else he would have not cared for the meaning of terms such as integrity, honesty and respect. Similarly you make amends after you are punished for your crime, so let him rot in jail for what he did and after that depending on his behavior he should be allowed back in the cricket or else totally forgotten. PERIOD.
He should be let to play within year. 18 year old boy. Captain came asked him. He might have this how the life it is.
Naveen, So you think all those under 19 can do fixing and get away with fine? Their carrier should be ended Period. Palistan has lot more talent and we can now see much better and ethical players from pakistan.
its not upto pcb to give Amir a chance. its icc and i dont understand if aguy at begining of his career des this cheating what he would have done in the next decade if not caught? he surely is not innocent and knew what he was doing.
Yes they brought shame to the country but media really needs to spare their family. It is inhumane to punish people for the sins they have not committed. These players are responsible for their acts an not their families.
what ever may be possible in pakistan but they chose to cheat in a country where no one is above the law.they got what they deserved.they should be now tried for treason so should be millions more pakistanis who betray their nation every day.
The sentences are far too lenient as compared to the crime they have committed. They have brought immense shame to my country.
Read a lot about the three who got cought but nothing about the main culprit who got away IJAZ BUTT. I hold him responsible for all this that has happened. I always starts from the top, when you have people like Ijaz Butt running the show then what else can happen. All of you should have expected all this to happen to Pakistan Cricket.
What nobody is paying to attention too is that we need to catch the crooks in the PCB who were definitely party to this …. they had the due share in all the racket
there should not be any sympathy for them…hundreds of good talented boys are there in pakistan..pakistan should hunt for fresh players. other good players should be given a chance..they had their chance.
They Should have not sentensed for Jail…
Too bad, but they got what they deserved. Kamran Akmal should also be investigated and sent to jail. I can't forgive him for the Sydney test.
A Very shameful situation for all Cricketers and admirers of this gentleman game.
Though the guilty must be punished but equally not happy over this development.
I request all the Cricketers please play a game gently as it is a gentleman's game. Howsoever wins and whosoever losses is a separate topic.
Shame on you, Salman, Asif, Amir and specially Mazhar Majeed.
I was so glad that the scandal broke out in England and not Pak, India or Lanka. I was confident of a fair trial and conviction. It would have never happened in Pakistan; players would have gone scott free and gone on to grow beards, display sajdas, pretend piety and become captains/coaches(Inzamam, Wasim/Waqar, Mushtaq Ahmed).
When they were involved in match fixing they were not praying or they had a beard,Allah forgive all sinner who would stopped doing what they were doing,punishment for only those who proven guilty and these guys got caught on camera.
Exactly, our judicial system is so paralyzed that we might see another scandal after 3 to 5 years. This prosecution has nub the evil somewhat and those thinking about it will now think 100 times before doing anything like that
First of all, I am sad, ashamed, bitter, angry and to some extent happy that finally someone got punished. It's been going on for a long long time. A lot of teams have been doing it but they were smart about it and may be they have stopped. Our Players are neither smart nor did they stop. I think players like Akmals, Shoaib Malik, Wahab, Umar Amin, etc should never be selected. I would rather lose honestly than win with cheaters.
And as a Pakistani nation, we should stop blamming others. We have to take responsibility and make sure our youngsters play and earn honestly. I have been following this game for over 30 yrs but this is one of the most painful days of my life. Pakistan Zindabad! ! !
Very well said Humayun
Same would have happened in India.
In first place we would have to wait for at least 20 years for the conviction, with result saying "due to lack of evidence these gentelmen are realesed from every charge." Between these 20 years players would have been allowed to play international cricket and earn money by bowling fixed NO BALLS.
Pakistan's problems whether it is dengu,flood,earthquakes, water, or power, they all emerge from dishonesty corruption and usurping the rights of others. these lads are so young to do that — I am sure they learn from their elders.Next door India is free from dengu and other problems. It is time for forgiveness and learn how to make Halal earnings or we shall all face a much bigger disaster
Who told you India is free from Dengu and corruption… We (India and Pak) have common roots… how much ever we fight.. we still have got common roots and common problems (corruption)
We need a complete clean up from top to bottom inorder to be called Islamic Republic of Pakistan and have a pride to be call pakistani into this world.
Corruption is the norm of Pskitan and it has reached to the point that academic institutions of Pakistan have come highly crrupt.Corruption in cricket is a minor thing.
It is the fault of our whole system. Our government should have never allowed these players to go to England to stand trial, instead they should be tried here.PCB has played a very poor role in all this saga. It is only their fault that this things has happened. This case should not go to trial, instead, it should eb handled internally. I can see lot of fixing in our neighbour country due to mafia over there, but no one take notice of it.Finally, now everone will curse these 3 guys becuase these are caught, but why not ICC expose the one who realy control all this? It may be someone within ICC?
Yes, The Pakistani justice system has more integrity that the British courts.
Hey
How in the world can you see that there is this "thing" happening in your neighbouring country? Let us not try and blame others for what the cricketers have done. I for one am an Indian and strongly believe that Azharudin and Jadeja should have been jailed years ago. Instead Azhar is an MP now!!!! I think in both our systems, it is we, ythe people, who should come out and try to stay clean. This will have an effect in any business we conduct. Slowly but steadily it is happening in India..
It is a shame big time but let us hope something good will come out of it.If the players don't mend their ways, then they should barred forever-their nme would be mud.
In my opinion, Pk has a ton of talent and they don't need to cheat to make a few bucks-we all hope they have learned their lesson.
anverali valli
Very shameful act!
These young players have not only destroyed their brilliant and long future but have put the whole Pakistani nation in shame and sadness. Cricket is seen and played with such passion in the country so it is a big let down for the young generation that saw these three players as role models. While this is a sad part of Pakistan's cricket history let us not forget the 99% of Pakistani players who have played with integrity and honesty for the pride of their country. Pakistan Zindabad.
I disagree with all the people saying this is a shame for Pakistan. It is no such thing. I am from India….. and it is shame on Asif, Amir and Salman, not Pak. They are the ones who have betrayed Pakistan and the rest of us. Big warning to all international and junior cricketeers from all countries. Kudos to the British justice system.
Shame on you amir,asif and butt.This should be a lesson to upcoming young players.
Three caught red handed, but fellow players like Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz will be wiping their foreheads and thinking, "Thank God! That was close!" When will PCB and Pakistani courts look into these mysterious matches where Pakistani team managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory . . . the Sydney test against the Aussies was a disgrace. Over forty years I've seen Pak team pull some unbelievable stunts, now it's quite clear what was going on in the dressing rooms and the hotel lobbies. A few more players should be going inside along with Butt and Asif, because it was mostly a team effort. I remember Kamran always shouting "Shabash, Shabash" from behind the stumps, even when it was a no ball!
I think that the decision is incontrovertibly true. The nation is suffering the ignominy of cheat.
Good for Pakistan. Now the next step is for the government to go after Ijaz Butt, Yawar Saeed, Kamran Akmal, Wahab Riaz and ANY person whose name was even remotely mentioned by Mazhar Majeed. Punishing all the guys are absolutely necessary so next time Paksitan players dont even shake hands with someone who they doubt might be a corrupt.
Why only Pakistanis?if that's the way it is then a chain reaction should start from tomorrow's verdict.If everybody is talking about justice then justice for all should be practiced.Everybody should be put to trial;the Indians,Australians,Sri Lankans!
They got what they deserve, lets hope these punishment act as a detterent for the current and coming players.
Mohammed Aamer is definitely the most talented bowler of this generation, and I love to see how he toys with the batsmen. I hope he will keep up his ability when he returns to play.
Wouldn't it be nice if Pakistani Politicians are also held accountable for bribery and Corruption? Who do you think will be on top of the list? I dare you name them.
Sad day for Pakistan but happy that corrupt people will go in jail. PCB should do more investigation on other players who were involved or named during trial so we can root out fixing completely from the team.
Still I would like to see full justice, we would like to know who has the remaining money. There must be management and upper level involvement not only at the level of players.
Different people different ideas. But i think Pakistan and Pakistanis have always suffered a lot. Spot fixing and match fixing has not happened for the first time. There are hundreds of other cases that have happened in the past, unfortunately no such action was taken against those which has been initiated for these Pakistani guys. Though there is corruption in Pakistan, but not a single state can claim that they are a corruption free nation. There are many good things in Pakistan apart from terrorism and corruption our media should focus that and west should also recognize them .
Many go scott free because there is no evidence which will be accepted in a court of law. The evidence against these three was just too strong.
The moment the story broke, all three should have been called back and tried in Pakistan. That way British Crown Prosecution would not get a chance to get into the act. Alas, Pakistani Ambassador and the PCB tried their best to potect the corrupt. The possible end result: a 7 year jail sentence for all three.
Altaf
I agree with you. There could have been some face saving by following this discourse. Having said that let me say that they could have got away with it, had they been a trial in Pakistan. And no lesson learnt by these and those who were following the case.
these three are black spot on Pakistani cricket, should be banned for life from International cricket in order to taught a lesson for the rest.
OMG!!!,, A great shock to the fans, to the lovers of players & cricket.
I can feel the pain, But still love cricket. We have plenty of stars in our country . I wish them best of luck N hopes that they will shine more colourfully. LOVE YoU CRIcKeT
Its shameful for pak bt we have to face this trouble truth, i thnk it'l b a lesson for new crickters…best of luk for pak team al the times
They should arrest Wasim Akram and others older players too because all got rich due to these match fixing
This is a direct result of all those old people who are running the show. They need to be replaced by young people who understand the new generations, the new world. Its becouse of these old people who dont want to leave their seats, that the young gen of kids are looking to make money elswhere. My request to Paki cricket President/Managers "Leave The Kids Alone
SADNESS—-GLADNESS Succeed each other , it appears Sadness in cricket in Pakistan is at peak and now gladness will replace it , Good luck Pakistan and its cricket lovers. ( RKH India )
we need a similar trial for those who have plundered the nation's wealth. we need to have them cough up the money ill begotten through bribes, kickbacks, large bank write offs, tax evasion and what nots. Media needs to play a coordinated role in this process. More honest and investigative journalism can work wonders in this great age of communication. Trust me.
Lets bygone by bygone! I don't believe that it was just the Pakistani players who were involved in this menace. I think it was going on across the board and all teams were involved. Something like this cannot flourish unless supported by all. I think in the end the Pakistani players got careless as it happens when you don't get punished for doing a crime after crime. I am not saying that these players are innocent and should not be punished but what I am trying to say here is that it was a deliberate attempt to trap the Pakistani players and defame the country. My point being what about Majeeds statement that the Australian player are the best in doing these kind of things? Again, I think it was an international phenomenon which sadly culminated at the doorsteps of Pakistan because maybe the Pakistanis were more heavily involved in this stuff then others, then again maybe.
well of course…when it comes to pakistan its always a conspiracy! lol.
These boys have brought disgrace to themselves and a bad name for our dear country. Let this be a warning to all those who ever try to barter the good name of their country for a few pieces of silver.
They got what they deserve.
Salman, Asif and Amir deserved to be sentenced, corrupt people occupy important places here.
everyone makes mistakes.these players made a mistake and they should be forgiven.give them a small ban and let them play again.the people who put the trap for these players are corrupt.
if we dont forgive then we are not humans anymore.
person/s who have never made a mistake please reply to my post
Yes, you are right .
Forgive all . They are human .
Corruption is not a mistake it is a crime.
@Rattan Singh – A mistake is made by accident. This was a deliberate attempt to cheat and let fans and the nation down. A fascist government would have made this trio face the firing squad for treason. Sad for the country but I hope it will prevent future throwaway of winnable matches.
As a pakistani how can we think, that every one want to full fill our requirments we dont think about pakistan. From High to low level every one involved in coruption. we should need to clean our society from these kind of activities, then we can think about for success.
Very very bad day in pakistans cricket history but overall good for future cricket …..Sad but True ….
these three players have been proved as guilty one and this thing has more deteriorate the pak's cricket at international level then the terrorists attack on the siri lankan team' arrival here in Qazafi stadium lahore SHAME Shame for every one
This is indeed a sad day for Pakistan. Only if we had a strong and thoughful leadership, we should have filed counter charges against the invovled British Newspaper for "Entrapment". Entraping our players to commit this fraud. I wonder why this entrapment was not tried against England players, why was it one-sided?
Sir, I am not sure what you are saying!
Are you saying that these people did not do what they are in the court for?
Or are you trying a different case all together?
Stop whinnying and face the facts. Yes there are others but they were not in the Court. Why don't you file a case against the ones that offend your sensibilities?
I hope they get an appropriate punishment, although nobody can compensate, what they did to the reputation of Pakistan. I have no sympathy for them for the moment.
In the foreign lands we still need to live and earn our livings, facing the accusing eyes all over.
Shafiq
@ Saqib – The 'entrapment' as you call it was not targeted at England players as there was no evidence or suggestion that they were ever involved in match fixing. You need to stop living in denial, thinking that Butt & Co have been targeted and subsequently charged because of their ethnicity. This is simply not true. They have been charged in the face of overwhelming evidence proving their involvement in these disgusting practices. The sooner Pakistanis accept this, the better the future will become.
These are pretty young players and very talented too. I can't see the talent wasted like that. Tell me who is the cleanest of all who haven't done any mistake.Everybody commits mistakes. lets give them a fair chance realize their mistake and bring back the fame to the country.
@Saqib: press couter charges? why? Our courts should have done what now British did for us. For us we gave them a slap on the wrist and sad go and surely do it again.
Don't be sad, be happy instead because this is the best thing that's happened to Pak Cricket for a long time. Now no one will dare even think about taking money to throw the match away.
you and Pakistan need to come out of denial, Pakistan's troubles are not going to go away unless we come out of our collective state of denial!
It should have been done a long time ago. Let this be a lesson to all players and make them realize that it is not just one match or one ball they are forfeiting, its the nation. But i do call for indiscriminate action across board .. why are indian players being spared?
Because they don't fix. And, Pakistan players do!
The few guys who fixed matches in the past, including Mohd Azharuddin, were thrown out.
Do only players need a lesson? not the majority of the society who is forgetting the meanings of right and wrong? Many are innocent only because they didn't get a chance.
Is the public seriously expected to believe that no else knew what was going on ! Three have been found guilty but what about the rest . The cricket team , family members . What about tht ambassodor that said the evidence on vidoe was Hollywood frame work ! Etc , if we decide to turn a blind eye to the corrupt that lead and represent Pakistan . Then what do we expect . For far too long we have been brainwashed into thinking that we must support our motherland
Shame on those who claim such support and shame on those who sell a country for a few plates of rice .
Shame on you .
It is aweful to hear that Aamir has also put into dock..Since he seems to tempted by some seniors who has to earn unlawful earning..He must to minimized in punishment and his tempters but me caught by law-enforcing agencies.
Nasir Soomro
He is 18, no longer a child, at 18 you must know right from wrong. No excuses please for any of them. I am waiting with baited breath for any minute their sentences should be announced.
actually Amir is 19. They all got the "least" what they deserved.
another sad day in the history of PK…..
Another sad day in the history of Gentalman's Game Cricket…
I think this is the best thing which has happened to Pakistani cricket.Because had it not happened this mockery would have continued spoiling our youth.The sad part is that it was others who did and we as a Nation were not bold enough to confront.
Now lets move on , but one thing should be clear these fallen stars should not at all be given any recognition or respect , they have failed us.
I see them sitting in TV talk show giving there view etc.THIS SHOULD STOP NOW.
Even we must charge them for TREASON
Indeed. This is treason. They should be tried in Pakistan as well with strict punishment. It boils my blood every time seeing the picture of trio smiling when coming out of the airport after getting expelled last year. Shameless creatures.
I agree with Ozair's comments. These players should be prosecuted in Pakistan also for the crime they committed.
This is the result of extremely corrupt environment in Pakistan. The nation needs to wake up and take some action against the political corruption, which is stting stage in the country.
I support your view.They must be punshed for bringing shame and damage to the country.
Pakistan's pro
India's Mohammed Azaruddin deserved this too.