http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yasir-Hameed-c2811 is ‘unreliable’
Pakistan’s limited overs captain Shahid Afridi has labelled Yasir Hameed – the Pakistan batsmen at the centre of the latest News of the World sting operation - as having the mentality of a teenager.
At the end of August the News of the World published allegations of a spot-fixing betting scam, involving no-balls delivered at pre-determined points in the match, that the paper claimed had taken place during the Test between England and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 at Lord’s last month.
The story prompted police and ICC investigations into a group of Pakistan players, with three players implicated in the scandal – Test captain Salman Butt and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – charged late last week by the ICC under its Anti Corruption code and handed provisional suspensions from cricket.
In typical style, the News of the World weren’t done yet, and this weekend published a hidden-camera interview with Hameed (pictured), in which they claim the Pakistan player told their undercover reporter of other Pakistan players who have been involved in alleged match-fixing activities, including in the New Year’s Test against Australia in Sydney this year and against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rose-c86842 Bowl in 2004.
Hameed played in the Lord’s Test last month, but was not a part of the Pakistan Test team that was kept winless in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in 2009/10.
Speaking after Pakistan’s five-wicket loss to England in their first Twenty20 International in Cardiff yesterday, Afridi told reporters that, “He [Hameed] is 30, 31 but I think mentally he is 15, 16.
“We have known him for a long time, and we can expect anything from him,” Afridi added, while also labelling Hameed as “unreliable”.
Since the latest News of the World story broke Hameed has been in damage control – the standard position adopted by pretty much anyone involved in Pakistan cricket for the past week – and has issued a statement in which he denies having given an interview to the News of the World.
“I wish to stress I have never been approached by the NOTW and neither did I approach anyone connected with the News of the World to disclose any allegations concerning the Pakistan cricket team or any other players,” Hameed said in the statement.
“The incident which was largely inaccurately reported in the News of the World today was when I was having dinner with a friend at the Holiday Inn Nottingham on the evening of Monday 30th August 2010. I was then approached by a man who introduced himself as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Abid-Khan-c41803 and offered that he would arrange a sponsorship deal for me with ETIHAD Airways.”
During the course of the conversation, Habeed said in his statement that: “Abid Khan started asking about the current match fixing allegations and as I saw him as a friend and a potential agent I naively started to answer his questions. He asked me about the match fixing allegations against the current three Pakistani players and if I had any further knowledge. As far as I can recall I only told him whatever I had already read in the newspapers about this matter.”
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