Ricky Ponting defends Pakistan, blames ICC
The Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has lashed against critics of the Pakistan team who were calling for a ban on the side following allegations of spot fixing against them, published in a British Tabloid. The Australian skipper asked the ICC to try to
get to the root of the problem of fixing, by targetting illegal networks. He said, that banning the Pakistan Cricket team was not the solution.
The world of cricket plunged into the depths of darkness after reports were published in a British Tabloid, the News of the World, conducted an undercover operation against the alleged bookie, Mazhar Majeed, who was filmed with a stack of money lying in
front of him. The Tabloid alleged, that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed was to pay the money to the Pakistan players and he then went on to predict the number and the sequence of the no balls that will be bowled in the Pakistan innings.
However it is imperative to note, that sources within http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard had said that they had found no credible evidence to indict the Pakistan players were invloved. And all the evidence against them was merely the footage of the News of the World which did
not comply with the time and date formats. However that was not the only controversy, for once Pakistan started the ODI series with a string of defeats, the team managed to post an impressive win at Oval mainly due to the heroics of Umar Gul who took 6 wickets.
Following the Oval ODI, the sister company of the News of the World, the Sun alleged that the bookies had information about the patterns of scoring of the Pakistan side. Allegations of slow play emerged, and the ICC started an investigation against the team.
These second string of allegations resulted in Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt, making a highly unusual and erratic statement, saying that the England team had taken huge amounts of money to throw away the Oval match.
These counter allegations infuriated the England Cricket Board and their team management, who threatened the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board Chairman with legal action if he did not issue a public apology. In the midst of all this controversy, people like Michael
Vaughan, Ian Botham and Malcolm Speed called for a ban on Pakistan Cricket.
"ICC should get to the bottom of the allegations. But it won't be wise a decision to keep Pakistan out of international cricket because it will have a bigger impact on other things," Ponting said during a press conference ahead of the first Test against
India.
Ponting went on to say that the game of cricket had taken a serious battering but however refused to comment on the erratic statement by the 75 year old http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 who lashed out at the ICC and the ECB. It is interesting to note, that the ECB chairman Giles
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 is heading the task force for Pakistan that aims to revive International cricket in the country by early next year. He also said that the game of cricket cannot afford to have any more controversy or allegations. “That’s one thing the game can’t stand.”
He said that his team aimed to play some good cricket so that the focus could now be brought back on the game of cricket. Their performance in this particular series will have an impact on the morale of the team once they go into the Ashes against England.
England have not won an Ashes in Australia since 1987 and would be desperate for a win in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 after almost 20 years. Ponting also said that his team is seeking to improve their ICC rankings as well by playing good cricket.
"I have always enjoyed playing cricket in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, although I haven't got as much success as I would have liked, but as a group we are excited at the upcoming series," he said. He also expressed his satisfaction at the security arrangements made for the team
and hopes the players go on to play the best brand of cricket.
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