Pakistan Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal Exonerated in Spot-Fixing Scandal at Lord’s by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard
Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has been exonerated by the Scotland Yard squad that is dealing with the allegations of spot-fixing during the fourth and final Test between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and England that took place at Lord’s in London last week.
The wicketkeeper with a dubious record of dropping crucial catches throughout his international career was being considered as one of the central figures in the controversy that was more of a bombshell for cricketers, fans and administrators around the world.
The damning allegations came to the fore after a sting operation was carried out by a British tabloid “The News of the World”, which contacted alleged bookie http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed, who is perceived to have close links with Pakistani players and administrators. The scandal involves captain of the Test team Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.
According to Majeed, the two bowlers deliberately bowled no-balls during the first England innings in the Lord’s Test; Aamer overstepped by more than a foot, which was nothing less than a shock considering that he generally bowls well behind the bowling crease.
Asif also overstepped on the precise delivery pointed out by the bookie. The video was released by the tabloid on the third day of the match, a day when the Pakistan team collapsed shockingly for a mere 74 runs on a benign wicket where the hosts had amassed 446 runs courtesy a world record partnership between Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott for the eight wicket.
By the end of the day’s play, the visitors had crashed to 41/4 in their second innings after being forced to follow-on.
Kamran Akmal, meanwhile, was perceived to be one of the players who were under the investigations of the Scotland Yard, yet today the keeper was exonerated as the police department revealed that there was no proof found of his involvement in one of the most damning scandals in sporting history.
However, while the keeper can breathe easy for now, he still remains part of the investigation of the International Cricket Council on the last 82 international matches played by Pakistan.
These matches are in the period of Majeed’s alleged association with the team and management of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The match which will undoubtedly be under the spotlight is the Sydney Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 that was lost by Pakistan in dubious circumstances, when they were all but guaranteed a win after reducing the hosts to a lead of a mere 49 runs on the third day with eight wickets down.
Akmal dropped four catches in the second innings; three were of the bat of Australian batsman Mike Hussey in a matter of twenty minutes off leg-spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Danish-Kaneria-c1314.
Hussey was allowed to score a hundred that rescued his team from the brink of a humiliating defeat to an astonishing win on the fourth day, after he and tail-ender Peter Siddle succeeded in taking the Australian lead to 176 runs.
Ironically, Siddle was also dropped by Kamran on the fateful fourth day. The Pakistanis, in their chase, folded for 139 runs, handing the hosts a 36-run win.
After the tour where the tourists lost all nine international matches, the assistant coach of the team http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aaqib-Javed-c41431 accused Kamran of deliberately underperforming, and subsequently the match was probed by ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, yet no evidence was found of match-fixing by the body in their initial effort.
The match has once again come under the spotlight as Majeed allegedly revealed to the tabloid’s undercover reporter that he earned a staggering 800,000 pounds from the match, after ensuring that the Pakistanis throw away the game on the fourth day.
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