The Aamer Situation

[andyc]

Wow that ended quickly....

If I had a dollar...

 

[Athlai]

Jakester petition pending I suppose?

 

[Daemon]

Thats what she said.

 

[kingpin]

Pak players face life threat

OMG...

Threat from militants
Pak cricketers, who are allegedly involved in match fixing scandal, fear for their lives amid warnings that militants have put a price on their heads, according to security experts. Reacting angrily to the match-fixing allegations, fans greeted the Pak cricket team with boos, jeers and pelted the team bus with rotten tomatoes as they used the stadium’s back gate after crashing to a humiliating defeat by England. Cricket agent Majeed was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers over an alleged betting scam involving the Pak national team.

Players face backlash from fans
Police also questioned three Pakistan players over the alleged scam and detectives confiscated mobile phones of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Pakistan’s captain Salman Butt. Security experts say the team could be the target of a backlash from fans after match-fixing allegations, and fear the boos and cheers the squad got in London is nothing compared to what could be in store for them in Pakistan, where their lives could be on the line, the Daily Star reports. Text: ANI
Joy turned into frustration and anger!
One security expert warned: “There are worries it’s not going to be safe for the team to go back. Millions of people here have been looking to them for relief from the devastating floods. People were weeping with joy when they won the last Test. But that has disappeared now and the happiness has turned to anger.” Security around the team was beefed up yesterday after allegations that players in the team would throw a match for a fee.

Source: Zardari summons immediate report- Pak players face life threat - Indiatimes: Picture Story

 

[andyc]

All posts made by that poster today have been deleted. Mainly just to confuse people who missed it and are going to read through the thread.

 

[kingpin]

All posts made by that poster today have been deleted. Mainly just to confuse people who missed it and are going to read through the thread.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I do wonder how much of the defence for Amir is based on the fact that he's clearly a very talented player, though. If the bloke was an 18 year old no-hoper, would we be seeing the same response?

I think that's undeniably a factor, yes. It might not seem fair (and, strictly speaking, it isn't) but I think a lot of us (self included) are playing the man and not the (no-)ball, so to speak.

The old adage that genius writes its own rules does seem to apply. Bowlers like Aamer do adorn the sport (much like, say, Ben Cousins & George Best did to theirs, despite their heavy and colourful baggage) and, it's very sad to record, the no-balls did happen in the middle of one of the best spells of bowling I've seen for many a year; he took (IIRC) 4 wickets for no runs.

With full co-operation I'd advocate a lesser sentence for him than his mealy-mouthed captain and his recidivist bowling partner.

I also think we're entitled to ask WTF the ICC's anti-corruption unit has been doing to justify its existence when it takes a British red-top to expose this.

 

[Athlai]

on ya Candy

 

[Uppercut]

I also think we're entitled to ask WTF the ICC's anti-corruption unit has been doing to justify its existence when it takes a British red-top to expose this.

It's funny the extent to which people work on incentives. If the ICC uncover a huge body of corruption going on during a high-profile international series they **** up the sport they're meant to safeguard. If the NOTW do it they sell a bunch of papers and get rich.

Can't be too surprised it's the latter who get the job done.

 

[Spark]

All posts made by that poster today have been deleted. Mainly just to confuse people who missed it and are going to read through the thread.

They will never know now

 

[BoyBrumby]

It's funny the extent to which people work on incentives. If the ICC uncover a huge body of corruption going on during a high-profile international series they **** up the sport they're meant to safeguard. If the NOTW do it they sell a bunch of papers and get rich.

Can't be too surprised it's the latter who get the job done.

Fair point.

One of those cases where ignorance is definitely bliss; I'm not any happier for knowing this, tbh.

 

[G.I.Joe]

It's funny the extent to which people work on incentives. If the ICC uncover a huge body of corruption going on during a high-profile international series they **** up the sport they're meant to safeguard. If the NOTW do it they sell a bunch of papers and get rich.

Can't be too surprised it's the latter who get the job done.

There's also the element of entrapment to it, isn't there? Can't imagine it's a valid tool endorsed by the ICC ACU manual.

 

[Goughy]

It's funny the extent to which people work on incentives. If the ICC uncover a huge body of corruption going on during a high-profile international series they **** up the sport they're meant to safeguard. If the NOTW do it they sell a bunch of papers and get rich.

Can't be too surprised it's the latter who get the job done.

Absolutely. Just look at MLB and the early days of the steroids drama and the US Olympic Committee not declaring failed drugs tests for guys. It is very difficult to police something when any problems will directly hurt your product and your business. Far too much of a comflict of interest.

 

[Uppercut]

There's also the element of entrapment to it, isn't there? Can't imagine it's a valid tool endorsed by the ICC ACU manual.

Yeah, but that's kinda the point. Those who have an incentive to uncover such incidents will go to much further lengths in order to do so than those who need to appear to be countering corruption but in reality probably don't want to know.

It's why drugs tests are now run by bodies independent of sporting organisations. I'm surprised that isn't the case regarding corruption- perhaps after this, it will be.

 

[Steulen]

Having read around a bit on Amir's background I'm actually ready to make a soppy, girlish plea in defence of his actions instead of joining in with the baying for his head on a pike.

I believe it would have taken almost superhuman moral fibre to resist going along with this scheme, given his background and the current big-money culture in the entire cricket world with the notable exception of Pakistan (no IPL access etc.).

So, after my initial rage during the weekend I now more than anything feel sorry for the guy and actually think a life ban would be incredibly harsh even if it can be proven he was a willing perpetrator. Give him a suspended ban, a big-bucks contract in county or state cricket deserving of his skills and talents, and a few mentors who are beyond any moral doubt instead of wrecking his life completely.

It's also a travesty of justice that everything is now focused on the players' actions rather than the shady world of fat-cat betting syndicates who will undoubtedly not suffer a scratch from this sorry tale.

 

[Uppercut]

Betting syndicates have no obligation to the sport, though. Players do.

I do actually have some sympathy for the guy because it's hard not to, but his mere presence in any future international cricket will do untold damage to the sport. I just don't think you can maintain any credibility in a sport in which known spot-fixers are heavily involved. If anything, his phenomenal talent makes the potential damage so much worse. Imagine the best bowler in the world being someone everyone thinks of as a fixer... I'd be so disillusioned with the sport of that happened. On some level you can argue that it isn't his fault. But he has to go nevertheless.

 

[GIMH]

Lock him up and throw away the key

 

[Sir Alex]

Lock him up and throw away the key

Please avoid such cruel jokes. It's a request.

 

[zaremba]

I do wonder how much of the defence for Amir is based on the fact that he's clearly a very talented player, though. If the bloke was an 18 year old no-hoper, would we be seeing the same response?

Part of it is how great an impact a particular punishment - and everyone's talking about a life ban - would have on the individual. If the player in question were a no-hoper, a life ban would mean the loss of an average-to-crap career, one might almost say an act of mercy (plenty of England players of 1980s/1990s vintage spring to mind). In the case of Amir, it could mean the loss of vastly more. He has the potential to have a stellar career and to go on to become an all-time great. And so what appears to be the same punishment would, in fact, be far harsher on Amir than on the no-hoper.

Another part of it is the long-term impact that this will have on Pakistan cricket. Pakistan cricket is already in a whole heap of trouble (no home matches etc) and Amir is a massively important figure in its survival and development. If his career were to proceed and reach fulfilment his influence could last for a decade or two. Yes we could ban his arse off if we wanted to, but it's not going to do much good for a cricketing nation that currently needs all the help it can get.

 

[GIMH]

Please avoid such cruel jokes. It's a request.

Nah