‘Ban Pakistan trio if guilty’
Warne says the cricketers should face a life ban if they are found guilty of being involved in a betting scam.
SYDNEY:
The three Pakistan cricketers should face a life ban if they are found guilty of being involved in a betting scam, according to Australian leg-spin great Shane Warne.
“If it is true and they have been found guilty of match-fixing and throwing games and spot-betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that’s the case they should be thrown out,” said Warne. “It’s as simple as that. I don’t think there should be any other way to do it. If it’s fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who’s involved should be thrown out.”
The International Cricket Council has promised “prompt and decisive action” if the spot-fixing allegations linked to underworld betting rings are proven, involving captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif.
Warne was a television commentator during the Sydney Test when Pakistan’s bizarre field placings and batting collapse helped Australia claim an unlikely come-from-behind victory, which according to Warne was dubious. “They are only allegations at the moment so I suppose you have to say innocent until proven guilty.”
Warne has had his own share of trouble with shady characters who stalk the game and otherwise.
In 1998 the Warne and Mark Waugh were fined by Australia’s cricket board for providing information to an Indian bookmaker during a tour of Sri Lanka. In February 2003, just prior to the start of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Warne was sent home after a drug test during the one-day series in Australia returned a positive result for a banned drug ‘diuretic’.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2010.
The three Pakistan cricketers should face a life ban if they are found guilty of being involved in a betting scam, according to Australian leg-spin great Shane Warne.
“If it is true and they have been found guilty of match-fixing and throwing games and spot-betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that’s the case they should be thrown out,” said Warne. “It’s as simple as that. I don’t think there should be any other way to do it. If it’s fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who’s involved should be thrown out.”
The International Cricket Council has promised “prompt and decisive action” if the spot-fixing allegations linked to underworld betting rings are proven, involving captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif.
Warne was a television commentator during the Sydney Test when Pakistan’s bizarre field placings and batting collapse helped Australia claim an unlikely come-from-behind victory, which according to Warne was dubious. “They are only allegations at the moment so I suppose you have to say innocent until proven guilty.”
Warne has had his own share of trouble with shady characters who stalk the game and otherwise.
In 1998 the Warne and Mark Waugh were fined by Australia’s cricket board for providing information to an Indian bookmaker during a tour of Sri Lanka. In February 2003, just prior to the start of the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Warne was sent home after a drug test during the one-day series in Australia returned a positive result for a banned drug ‘diuretic’.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 3rd, 2010.