0 Why we shouldn't tour Pakistan

There's some bad stuff going down  right now at Karachi's international airport.

KARACHI: Four terrorists have been killed while three personnel from the Airport Security Force (ASF) and one each from Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been killed following an armed attack at the Karachi airport.
According to initial reports, four armed attackers hurled grenades and opened fire as they entered the tarmac from fokker gate. This led to an exchange of fire between ASF personnel and the gunmen.
Gunshots and blasts were being heard with intervals outside the airport and flight operations have been suspended.
Two planes were partially damaged in the terrorist attack. TV footage showed one of the planes had caught fire.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif contacted DG Rangers Rizwan Akhtar and directed him to ensure safety of all the passengers at the airport.
Pakistan Army personnel have also arrived to assist ASF and other Law Enforcement Agencies.
According to DG ISPR Asim Bajwa, Pakistan Army troops have started reaching the airport and taking positions. In a series of tweets the DG ISPR added that proper coordination has being ensured for optimum effect and the DG Rangers was present at the airport leading the operation. He added that the operation was being supervised by Corps Commander.
DG ISPR, in his tweets, said all passengers in the planes have evacuated to safer places. He said he made a contact with Operational Commander at the airport who said terrorists had been contained in one area.

There's a good reason why the Pakistan cricket team plays its matches in neutral venues such as Dubai and the UAE; Pakistan is simply too volatile and dangerous.

Ask the New Zealand players who were in the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi in 2002 when a bomb exploded outside. Ask the Sri Lankan players who were injured after gunmen fired on their team bus in Lahore in 2009.

This morning's events show that Pakistan is still far from a safe place. Whilst it is unfortunate that their players are continually denied the opportunity to ply their trade on home soil, player safety must be paramount, and the ICC must continue to leave Pakistan off the list of places to tour.

0 The Chris Cairns saga

Herald cricket reporters Dylan Cleaver and Andrew Alderson have been well on top of the match-fixing saga. And they report that Cairns may yet face a third cricket authority making allegations against him; they report:

Chris Cairns has returned to New Zealand full of defiance, but might have another fight on his hands with the England and Wales Cricket Board investigating whether they can lay charges against him.
The former New Zealand all-rounder held a press conference at Auckland Airport upon his return from London. He read from a prepared statement and did not take questions as he left to spend "time with my family".
He said he had been interviewed by the Metropolitan Police, the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) and the ECB.
"At my own request, I was interviewed by representatives of Metropolitan Police, the ECB and the ICC anti-corruption unit," Cairns said yesterday. "This is in relation to an allegation I perjured myself at the trial Cairns v Modi in 2012, and separate allegations by the ICC's anti-corruption unit that I am a match-fixer. I was not arrested or otherwise detained in London and I have not been charged with any offence, criminal or otherwise."

This is the first time the ECB has been connected to discussions concerning Cairns.
The UK Telegraph last night reported that the ECB was taking legal advice over whether it could charge Cairns with alleged match-fixing offences, giving it jurisdiction over and above the ICC.
It is understood an ECB anti-corruption official sat in on discussions with the ACSU but John Rhodes, the ICC official who took testimony from McCullum, did not.

It is the ECB which has taken the lead and charged Lou Vincent with match-fixing with regard to allegations concerning two English county matches. The ECB seems, at the moment, to be more pro-active than its parent body, the ICC.

It was interesting too that Cairns lashed out against Vincent and his former wife, and has named former New Zealand captains Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming, and current ODI player Kyle Mills, whose brother Heath is head honcho of the NZ Cricket Players' Association. The Herald story continues:

Cairns yesterday emphasised that he rejected all the allegations against him, describing the testimony of Vincent and his ex-wife, Elly Riley, as "despicable lies" and questioning why it took McCullum three years to report the approach.
Along with Vincent and McCullum, former national captains Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori and fast bowler Kyle Mills were yesterday named as those who have given statements to investigators. Cairns said two were to confirm that McCullum told them he had been approached by Cairns, but one's memory was too "foggy" to back up that assertion.
"It is also significant that none of those players seem to have spoken to anyone at the ICC or any other organisation about my alleged conversation with Mr McCullum until this year, 2014," Cairns said.
"As a result of my trip to London, I now also understand that no person has made any statements to support the allegations Mr Vincent and his ex-wife have sought to level against me. There are also no allegations that I ever received any monies for my alleged activities, nor paid any monies to any person."

Regular readers will know how we feel about this case. Chris Cairns is entitled to be presumed innocent of any wrongdoing until such time as it is proven. But it is hard to ignore the weight of testimony. The obligation of cricket authorities and possibly the Metropolitan Police will be to prove the allegations.

There was however one red herring thrown out by Cairns; Cricifo reports:

Cairns claimed the interviews in London were conducted at his own request and dealt with allegations he had perjured himself during the Cairns v Modi trial in 2012, and separate allegations of match-fixing.

"I was not arrested or otherwise detained in London and I have not been charged with any offence, criminal or otherwise," Cairns said. "I repeat that each and every allegation against me, that I have cheated at cricket or attempted to induce others to cheat at cricket, is false." 

Cairns' statement that he was "not arrested or otherwise detained" is obfuscation. He was given a guarantee before he left New Zealand that he would not be arrested or detained at this point in the investigation, so it is somewhat disingenuous of him to claim that because he returned to New Zealand as a free man, he has somehow been vindicated. If Cairns is to be vindicated, that moment is still some distance away.

We will continue to follow this story with much interest. As we have said many times, match-fixing is a blight on the noble game of cricket, and those who are found to have participated in it will deserve whatever punishment they receive. There is no place for them in the sport.

0 Vincent charged with match-fixing

Another day; another twist in cricket's match-fixing drama. Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent has been formally charged with match-fixing by the England Cricket Board; Cricinfo reports:

The ECB has charged former Sussex players Lou Vincent and Naved Arif with alledged match-fixing in county cricket.

Vincent is charged with 14 offences relating to two matches; a Twenty20 match between Sussex and Lancashire and a 40 over game between Sussex and Kent at Hove. Arif is charged with six offences in relation to the 40-over game between Sussex and Kent in August 2011.

Sussex lost the CB40 game in question by 15 runs, with Arif conceding 41 runs in six overs without a wicket, and Vincent being run out for 1 off seven balls. The T20 match was a quarter-final, which Lancashire won by 20 runs. Vincent was caught behind first ball off Sajid Mahmood in the Sussex chase.

The result cost them a semi-final spot. In November 2012, Sussex had confirmed that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) had investigated the match.

Both players have been provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other national cricket federation and any member of any other national cricket federation.

Chris Watts, head of ECB's Anti-Corruption unit, said: "This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation co-ordinated across many jurisdictions around the world. This matter is now the subject of formal legal proceedings and we will therefore make no further comment other than to reiterate our determination to bring to account the very small minority who seek to corrupt cricket."

ECB chief executive David Collier added: "The ECB's ACCESS unit has worked tirelessly in conjunction with the ICC's ACSU to bring about these charges, which once again demonstrates the ECB's zero-tolerance approach to corruption in our great game." 

The story goes on to detail what triggered the investigation:

The Daily Telegraph, which initially reported the story, said the Sussex-Kent match attracted bets totalling more than £12million on one legal gambling website alone, the highest total for any match of its kind in the past three years, which drew suspicions at the time but was cleared by the ICC's anti-corruption unit only for the case to be later reopened by the ECB.  

It is interesting that this match was initially cleared by the ICC's anti-corruption unit, but that the ECB's ACCESS unit has found sufficient evidence to bring charges against Vincent and Naved Asif. It makes us wonder somewhat at the competence of the ACSU.

If these allegations against Vincent are proven, he will likely as not face a life ban from any involvement in cricket. Even if his testimony brings down some of those further up the match-fixing chain, it is a sad end to what could have been a very good career. 

There is no place in cricket for those who succumb to the temptation of big bucks and corrupt the great sport.

0 The ICC backs McCullum

New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum has received something of an endorsement from the ICC; the Herald reports:

The ICC has publicly commended New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum for his conduct in the match-fixing scandal enveloping the game.
The International Cricket Council's chief executive David Richardson spoke publicly to ward off any "misperception that he is somehow under suspicion".
McCullum's testimony to the ICC's anti-corruption investigation was leaked to the public this week, along with that of Lou Vincent. While Vincent's role in match-fixing is now becoming clear, Richardson said McCullum had done everything right.
He said the fact confidential information found its way into the public domain was worrying and the ICC was investigating how this happened as a matter of urgency.

"Of course, we recognise that this is a deeply concerning development for the stakeholders in the fight against corruption in the sport of cricket, and we wish to emphasise that Brendon McCullum is not under investigation in this matter," Richardson said.
"Whilst we have privately offered our full support to Brendon, we do so now publicly not only to confirm that, by assisting with the ACSU's enquiries, he has acted quite properly in accordance with his responsibilities as a professional cricketer... He is to be commended for his actions and we deeply regret that aspects of his statement are now in the public domain."

This does not bode well for Chris Cairns. He has said that Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent are lying when they accuse him of being the mysterious Player X, but the evidence that McCullum, Vincent, Vincent's ex-wife and others have given to the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is detailed and explicit.

Chris Cairns is, as we have said any number of times, entitled to the presumption of innocence. The onus will be on the ICC and any prosecutorial services to prove the allegations against Cairns beyond reasonable doubt. But it must be said that the evidence at this point is stacking up against Cairns. Clearly, both Cairns and McCullum cannot be telling the truth when their stories are at opposite ends of the scale. 

There is a separate issue for Chris Cairns. If it is later found that the evidence he gave in his libel case against ICL boss Lalit Modi in London was false, he will be at risk of being prosecuted for perjury, and the damages awarded to him may have to be repaid. The arrest in March of his former lawyer Andrew Fitch-Holland in London on suspicion of perverting the course of justice in relation to the libel case suggests that the match-fixing investigation may be just one of the hurdles Cairns faces in the next few months and years.

These are terribly sad times for those of us who love cricket.

0 More on cricket's cancer

The allegations of involvement of former New Zealand players in match-fixing continue to swirl around the cricketing world. And on face value, the leaked testimony of Lou Vincent's former wife is damaging, on all sorts of levels; Stuff reports:

Chris Cairns continues to protest his innocence amid more evidence against him being disclosed, this time from Lou Vincent's ex-wife, alleging he was a cricket match-fixing ringleader.
Cairns' name was publicly linked with sworn evidence to International Cricket Council investigators for the first time today, as the former New Zealand allrounder issued a second statement in a 12-hour period: ''I totally reject the allegations against me and I will prove this.''
The latest leaked evidence is a sworn 10-page document from Elly Riley, Vincent's ex-wife, that she provided to anti-corruption (ACSU) investigators last October. It follows leaks in the past week of former test opener Vincent's explosive 42-page testimony, and New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum's signed three-page statement, both of which are understood to name Cairns as a fixing ringleader.
Riley's evidence, reported by One News tonight, was that the fixing began at the Indian Cricket League in 2008, and that Vincent told her: ''Chris was going to pay him US$50,000 (NZ$58,000) a game for the fixing.''
Vincent was soon confronted by a stranger with a suitcase full of money, but two weeks later things went awry, Riley said in her evidence.
''I got a phone call from Lou and he was crying, saying he'd just lost Chris Cairns US$250,000 or something like that because he got things wrong.''
Riley alleged the fixing continued in English county cricket, and the more players that were involved, the more money Cairns would receive.
She confronted Cairns during a night out in Manchester in 2008. He told her they were safe, everyone did it (fixing) and no one would get caught.
''I said that you're involving so many players - you're involving the whole team and by doing that you're getting greedy. I just can't see how information on the fixing is not going to leak out to others and you're not going to get caught,'' Riley said in evidence.
''Chris said that I was right, but told me not to worry as he had it all under control. Chris just sort of laughed it off.'' 

Once again we reiterate what we said yesterday. These are allegations only, and Chris Cairns must still be considered innocent until he has been proven otherwise.

But the allegations are hugely damaging to the integrity of the sport of cricket; once regarded as the most noble of all ball sports. It has become clear that match-fixing is not just the preserve of players from India and Pakistan, with Lou Vincent having admitted his involvement, and an English county player having given a sworn testimony against Chris Cairns. How deep does the rot go?

Match-fixing and spot-fixing are a cancer on cricket. Radical treatment is required if the patient is ever to have a chance at some sort of normality, but the prognosis for cricket is extremely guarded at the moment.

0 Cairns: If I'm Player X, McCullum's lying

The murky world of cricket match-fixing got murkier overnight. Chris Cairns has put out what Stuff describes as an "explosive" statement suggesting that if he is the mysterious Player X, NZ captain Brendon McCullum has been lying; check this out:

Chris Cairns has emerged swinging, saying if he is 'Player X' then match-fixing claims attributed to New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum are "a complete lie".
Cairns released an explosive statement to Fairfax Media tonight in response to an interview given by McCullum to the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), which was leaked to the Daily Mail. McCullum told investigators that a star international player had twice approached him in 2008 to request he fix matches, and said he could earn over $200,000 per match. McCullum said he rejected the offer.
Cairns maintained his innocence and insisted "dark forces" were at play.
"I am aware that former cricketer Lou Vincent and current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum have made a range of allegations against a cricketer dubbed Player X," Cairns' statement said.
"It is well known that the ICC/ACSU has been investigating allegations of corruption and my name has been linked by others to these allegations. I am being asked whether I am Player X.
"Based on the limited information I have received during this investigation, I believe it is being alleged that I am that player. These allegations against me are a complete lie." 

We don't know who to believe any more. Cairns obviously thought McCullum's accusations in his ACSU interview were so specific they could only have referred to him. New Zealand Cricket is aware of the identity of Player X, but will not name him, for obvious reasons. 

The story is not going to go away. If, and we stress the word "if" any current or former New Zealand player is found to have participated in match-fixing or spot-fixing, they must, Lou Vincent included, be banished from cricket permanently.

As we have mentioned in the past, cricket is our first and most enduring sporting love. Our first memory of live first class cricket is watching a young Glenn Turner grind out three runs in a two-hour session against Central Districts at Cook's Gardens in Wanganui 50 years ago. These days, Turner would be accused of spot-fixing!

We played our first competitive cricket match in 1966. In the years since we have been a player, administrator, umpire and spectator. We continue to love test cricket in particular. but the abbreviated format of cricket, especially T20, is losing its allure. That is especially sad with the creme of the world's cricket talent set to grace New Zealand early next year for the ICC World Cup.

Do we have confidence in the ICC to get to the bottom of all this, and stamp out match-fixing and spot-fixing? In a word, no. It is time that these allegations were investigated by an organisation completely distanced from cricket. This is organised crime on a massive scale, given some of the numbers bandied around.

This is fast heading towards cricket's darkest hour. As lifelong cricket tragics, we despise what is going on in the sport. The game we love will never be quite the same again.

0 Who is Player X?

The cricket match-fixing allegations get murkier by the day; the Herald reports:

New Zealand Cricket have released a statement this afternoon to express their dismay that Brendon McCullum's testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media.
"We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them," the statement read.
"NZC has 100 per cent confidence in our captain and his role in tackling corruption."
Details of the match-fixing offer made to, and rebuffed by, the New Zealand captain have been leaked to media.
The approach, first reported by the Herald on Friday, is part of the ICC's investigation into match-fixing.

Whilst it is clear that Brendon McCullum reported the approach from Player X to cricket authorities, it is less certain when this happened. New Zealand cricket fans need to be reassured that there was no undue delay.

And here's how the fix worked:

McCullum was interviewed recently by the ICC's anti-corruption unit and, according to cricket corruption expert Ed Hawkins in the Daily Mail, has testified that he was offered more than $200,000 to fix games.

He met a "former international star" in a café in Worcester while on tour with New Zealand in 2008, when the offer was tabled. According to testimony, the former star said that "the big boys" in international cricket were doing it.
McCullum has also revealed that he was first approached in Kolkata during the 2008 IPL and asked the cricketer how the mechanics of it worked.
"Using the piece of paper X explained the basic principles which were to score below a certain rate for the first six or so overs and then towards the end of the game there was another split. X told me he had done this himself," said McCullum, according to testimony.
"[He] told me that potentially he could get for me from between US$70,000-US$180,000.
"X told me he had a good group working for him in the ICL and I understand this to mean fixing for him. It was my opinion then, as it is now, that X was actively concerned in fixing... I believed he was asking me to do the same thing for him in the IPL as others were doing in the ICL."
McCullum was told he could launder the money through property deals in Dubai. The name of a contact was provided.
Once McCullum had rebuffed that approach, the same cricketer then cornered him in Worcester to ask him if he had changed his mind.
"He was a hero who became a friend so I always found it difficult to say no," McCullum told investigators.

Player X has yet to be identified. But until he is, a good number of players and former players are unfairly under suspicion.

Player X was obviously a high profile player if he was a hero of McCullum's, and the fact that he became a friend suggests their careers intersected. We have our own suspicions, but if they prove to be groundless, then it simply underlines our point.

Not every international player has been involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing. Unfortunately the actions of a few have cast a huge shadow over everyone, and worse still, over the wonderful sport of cricket.

The sooner the identity of Player X is revealed, the better for all concerned, and for the sport.

0 Another view on fixing

We met A Cricketing Buddha when we were at the New Zealand vs England test match at Eden Park last summer. He, like us, is a cricket tragic. And at Donning the Whites with Grace he has blogged his thoughts on the latest revelations over cricket's blight; match-fixing and spot-fixing; he opines:

In the past two days I have taken a close interest in the views of those I follow via various social media channels in respect of fixing in cricket. Many, whilst saddened, believe that recent revelations are a step forward - a clear opportunity to begin to purge our once great game of those who use it as their personal play thing, a sporting stock exchange rife with insider trading.

However, others assert that spot fixing is a victimless crime, should be excused if the protagonists suffer from mental illness or if those involved are not well remunerated for their core role as a cricketer. Many of them previously complained loudly of the corruption and mismanagement within the ICC, the BCCI and the ascension of the "big three" - are these instances that far removed from fixing?

Victimless? What of team mates and associations who miss out on the chance for victory or prize money, fans who become disillusioned with their sport - nay passion, or those who legally ply their trade betting on sport?

I am loathe to even acknowledge the mental illness defence. Yes, it clouds one's judgement - the highs often higher and the lows subterranean. Yet have crickets many and varied stars who are often attacked by the vicious black dog given in en masse to the "temptations" of the fix? For those who believe mental illness is a worthy excuse, does it also rationalise the actions of corrupt officials, financial fraudsters and common thieves?

I understand the resentment many have at the seemingly inadequate remuneration of their profession, chosen or otherwise. But in does not, and never should, excuse defrauding that profession for personal gain.

I once adored our great game, not a pastime or a hobby, more an obsession. The last two days have drawn me further away - cricket is becoming more background noise than the lead singer belting out his requiem front and centre.

This is a very interesting and thought-provoking piece. The more we have seen and heard over the last few days, the deeper it seems that cricket's shame is embedded.

It's all terribly sad that the heart of cricket, personal integrity, has been stripped away in this manner. The ICC faces a Herculean task to restore credibility to the game we love.

0 The match-fixing scandal

Match-fixing and spot-fixing are a blight on sport, and especially on cricket. And former New Zealand player Lou Vincent has blown the whistle on what sounds like a reasonably significant dose of corruption in cricket; the Herald reports:

Investigations into cricket match-fixing allegations have taken a twist, with the revelation New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum rebuffed an approach to manipulate a game.
No details on dates or games have been confirmed, but multiple sources have corroborated the approach.
The Herald understands International Cricket Council anti-corruption officers interviewed and he confirmed being approached.
During a hastily arranged press conference at NZ Cricket headquarters in Auckland yesterday, an attempt was made to pin chief executive David White down on a possible McCullum connection.
"Sorry, I cannot say any more as it could jeopardise further investigations," White said.
The press conference was called to respond to a story in London's Daily Telegraph that suggested former Black Cap Lou Vincent was seeking a plea bargain for full disclosure of his involvement in spot- and match-fixing.

McCullum is playing in the Indian Premier League for the Chennai Super Kings. It is understood he immediately and emphatically rejected the approach. Approached by the Herald last night, he had no comment.
White did confirm that matches involving the Auckland Aces in South Africa at the 2012 Champions League - an international Twenty20 competition - were under anti-corruption investigation, a story broken in the Herald in December.
"No games played in New Zealand are being investigated by the ICC," White said. "No current Black Caps are being investigated. No matches involving New Zealand national
"However, we have been informed by the ICC that some Auckland Aces matches in the Champions League in South Africa in 2012 are being investigated.

Regular readers will be aware that of all the sports we follow, cricket is our first love. The manner in which the whole sport has been brought into disrepute by dodgy, shady characters seeking to make a profit is heart-breaking.

Lou Vincent deserves some credit for coming forward and being completely open about his involvement, and that of players around him. The bookies target vulnerable players, and Vincent, with his history of depression certainly fits that profile. That does not in any way excuse his participation in anything illegal, if that is what he has admitted. But by breaking ranks and fronting up, he may help to identify some of those who are pulling the strings of players around the globe.

Cricket used to be the gentleman's game. These days, there is a dark cloud over the sport due to the illegal activities of those prepared to hang the game out to dry for the sake of a quick buck. On one hand we condemn Lou Vincent for succumbing to temptation, but on the other we commend him for being honest about his involvement, and for trying to put things right.

0 A very welcome move

Match-fixing is a blight on sport, and especially on cricket, the gentlemen's game. So we are delighted to see the Government about to take some meaningful action; the Herald reports:

Match-fixing will become a crime in New Zealand.
Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully announced yesterday that an amendment would be made to the Crimes Act to ensure serious forms of match-fixing would be subject to criminal sanctions.
"New Zealand is not immune to the international risks of match-fixing and we are taking pre-emptive steps to protect our well-deserved reputation for playing fair and the integrity of New Zealand sport," Mr McCully said.
"We have released the New Zealand Policy on Sports Match-Fixing and Related Corruption and announced plans to amend the Crimes Act 1961 to ensure the most serious form of match-fixing is a criminal offence.
"The national match-fixing policy provides a comprehensive framework for collaboration across Government, the sport sector and the betting industry to address match-fixing risks to New Zealand sport," he said.
"An important component of the policy is ensuring we have a strong legal framework around match-fixing, and ensuring it is subject to criminal sanctions."

With the ICC World Cup due to be held in New Zealand early in 2015, this is a significant move by Murray McCully. It sends a message to the international community that match-fixing will not be tolerated in New Zealand, and that there will be criminal sanctions as well as those dished out by the sport in question.

Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle is a fan. He has sent out this tweet to his 1.2 million followers:

Sadly, much of the illegal activity in cricket has its origins in the India subcontinent.But sportsmen from throughout the world have fallen into the clutches of the bookies and their dodgy mates. Even right now, former New Zealand representatives Lew Vincent, Daryl Tuffey and Chris Cairns are being investigated by the ICC's anti-corruption unit over allegations of involvement in match-fixing.

Cricket is our first and most enduring sporting love, and watching the game descend into corruption is deeply saddening. We commend the Government for this initiative, which is a very welcome move.