Arrest over Pakistan-England Test cricket 'betting scam'
Arrest over Pakistan-England Test cricket 'betting scam'
The Test is due to resume on Sunday
A man has been arrested in connection with an alleged cricket betting scam centred on the current Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's.
The News of the World claims it gave £150,000 to a middleman who provided details about three "no balls" which later took place when he predicted.
Scotland Yard said a 35-year-old man was being held on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.
Pakistan and England said the game would resume on Sunday as planned.
Analysis
Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent
"This is not necessarily match fixing.
Although what it does do if these allegations are true - or even if they're not frankly - you do wonder what you are watching in front of you.
This is the danger to any sport, in which there is any question of match fixing, or betting within it -you do wonder if what you have been watching here over the last few days is real or not.
And that is the damage to the integrity of the game that these allegations have."
While there are no allegations that the result of the Test will be affected - or that England players had any knowledge of the alleged scam - BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said the integrity of the sport would be damaged.
"What it does do is make you wonder what is going on in front of you, that is the danger for any sport," he said.
A joint statement issued by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) read: "No players nor team officials have been arrested in relation to this incident and the fourth npower Test match will continue as scheduled on Sunday.
"As this is now subject to a police investigation neither ICC, ECB, PCB nor the ground authority, the MCC, will make any further comment."
The statement said the ICC, ECB, PCB, along with the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, were assisting the police with their inquiries.
Earlier, Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed told the Associated Press team members had spoken to police at their hotel and were "helping them with their inquiries".
He later said he was shocked by the allegations, as were the team members to whom he had spoken.
The News of the World alleges that Pakistani players were secretly paid to deliberately bowl "no balls" during the Test.
A "no ball" occurs when a bowler oversteps the line behind which balls should be delivered.
"I don't see how they can really come out this morning and play a game in which you don't know what is unfolding in front of your eyes”Phil Tufnell Former England cricketer
The newspaper claims it was given pre-warning of three separate incidents by the Pakistan team.
It said members of its reporting team posed as businessmen and paid a middleman who told them exactly what would happen in the next day's play.
The allegations relate to three "no balls" delivered by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif on Thursday and Friday.
Speaking from the team hotel in north London, Mohammad Asif said: "I have spoken to the management and they have told us something happened, but not what. The management will tell us more later. We are 100% focused on the match tomorrow."
'Uncomfortable questions'
Although the Test is due to resume this morning, former England player and BBC cricket commentator Phil Tufnell said it would be difficult to see this happen.
"Everything has been brought into question," he said.
"I don't see how they can really come out this morning and play a game in which you don't know what is unfolding in front of your eyes."
Sharia Khan, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board said he was "deeply shocked" by the allegations, while Angus Porter, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, said the allegations could cover "a spectrum of possible offences".
The BBC's Andy Swiss said the allegations involved "very minor, very small details within the match that might seem ridiculously trivial to a lot of people".
Our correspondent added: "That sort of information is worth a huge amount of money in the betting world where you can put bets on the tiniest details within a cricket game.
"This is a difficult situation for cricket and there are going to be some uncomfortable questions for the Pakistan team when the match resumes."
Betting on when "no balls" happen in cricket, or how many are made, is a form of gambling called spot-betting.
This refers to betting on certain events taking place in a game, rather than the actual result.
England look close to an innings victory in the Test at Lord's later after taking 14 Pakistan wickets on Saturday.
They are heading for a 3-1 victory in the four-match Test series.
Previous controversies
It is the second successive England-Pakistan Test series that has ended in controversy.
Four years ago, umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove had forfeited the fourth Test by failing to return to the field in time following the tea interval. The Pakistan team were incensed about an earlier decision to penalise them five runs for alleged ball-tampering.
In July 2008, the ICC changed the result of the match from an England win by forfeit to a draw, but in February last year cricket's governing body made a U-turn and awarded a victory to England.
It is also the second time this year that the Pakistan team has found itself under investigation.
An inquiry was launched after they lost every international fixture on last winter's tour to Australia, resulting in four players being suspended by the PCB and three players fined.
Three of the bans were subsequently lifted, including indefinite bans on former captains Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, and the fourth is currently subject to an appeal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11122388
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