Ijaz Butt, PCB asked to pay compensation to ECB

Dawn learnt on Friday that the ECB has not only demanded an unreserved apology but has also dictated the exact words that apology should comprise. Moreover, the apology will be from both the PCB chairman and the PCB, sources further said. The ECB also demanded from the PCB to pay the legal costs of the case and in addition pay a substantial sum in damages to each member of the England cricket team, personally.

Sources said the PCB chairman was certainly not expecting such harsh reaction from the ECB after he had tried clarifying the basis of his statement. Ijaz was reported as saying in the press that there was loud and high talk in the bookies’ circle that English players made lot of money for losing the third One-day International against Pakistan on Sept 17.

Soon after his statement, the ECB issued a protest statement against the PCB chairman, asking him to tender an apology.

The PCB chairman, however, preferred to clarify the matter his own way by saying that he had not accused the England players of throwing the game but that was what the bookies had been saying.

Ijaz’s clarification, however, was not accepted by the ECB and a legal notice was sent to the PCB on Thursday. The PCB has decided to respond to the legal notice through its England-based lawyers, Addleshaw Goddard.

Cricket: England snub for Flamorgan’s James Harris

GLAMORGAN’S James Harris has been snubbed for a place on England’s performance programme this winter. Harris took 63 wickets at an average of 20 last summer – the second highest by an England-qualified seamer – but has lost out to the surprise selections of Jade Dernbach (Surrey) and Maurice Chambers (Essex) – the latter taking only half of Harris’ haul. A 16-man squad will be based in Australia until the start of the third Test in Perth, putting those players in prime position for call-ups if senior squad members are injured.

At a time when Harris is in contract talks at Glamorgan – the Pontarddulais product has one year left on his current deal – this squad announcement could be bad news for the Welsh county. Harris has made no secret of his desire to win England honours and his omission might be seen as more fashionable counties once again getting preferential treatment. However, Harris could still yet win a place on the England Lions tour to the West Indies in the new year.

Glamorgan director of cricket Matthew Maynard recently said: “We need to keep James at the club.

“He has had a fantastic season and he has been our lead seam bowler.

“He will be an England player, but we want him to be a Glamorgan England player.”

Meanwhile, England’s chairman of selectors Geoff Miller has revealed that Monty Panesar’s success in reinventing himself at Sussex led to his inclusion in the Ashes squad.

Panesar and Chris Tremlett were named in an otherwise predictable 16-man party, led by Andrew Strauss, bound for Australia.

The 28-year-old Panesar made the last of his 39 Test appearances in the opening match of the 2009 Ashes before being dropped amid a significant loss of form.

But Miller believes he has been revitalised by his move from Northamptonshire to Sussex, taking 52 first-class wickets for his new county this summer.

“Monty went away and developed his game because, obviously, he was having a bad time,” said Miller.

“We told him what he needed to do, he joined a new county and has produced the goods for them this year.

“He’s a quality spinner. He just needed to go away when he was having problems and resurrect his career, which he’s done.

“Monty’s developed as a person. There were times when you thought he wasn’t thinking for himself but that’s changed.

“He’s been given the onus at Sussex to set his fields, have conversations with the captain and coach and has developed as a player and person.

“He’s been to Australia before and did well there once he got into the side, so he’s used to the conditions.”

Miller insisted England had no hesitation in selecting Kevin Pietersen, who will begin a spell at former club KwaZulu Natal next month in an attempt to regain his form in time for the Ashes.

“We know what a great player Kevin is. He’s had a lull in form, but lots of great players have lulls in form,” said Miller.

“He wants to put that right and get some time in the middle. That was accepted and we’ve left him to it.

“When it comes to playing Australia, he’ll be up for the challenge.”

England will be bidding to win the Ashes in Australia for the first time since Mike Gatting’s class of 1987 and Miller believes the current team is just as strong.

“Yes I think this squad is as good as Gatting’s. It’s a solid squad with match-winners all the way down,” said Miller.

“If they all perform to potential, there’s no reason why we can’t retain the Ashes.”

England announced their squad for Australia on the same day Pakistan returned home following a controversial tour marred by claims of spot-fixing.

England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Hugh Morris hopes the Ashes will restore cricket’s reputation, though he confirmed that an apology is still being demanded from Pakistan board chairman Ijaz Butt for alleging that England’s players accepted a bribe to lose the third one-day international at The Brit Oval.

“As far as the players and management team are concerned, the series against Pakistan finished yesterday,” said Morris.

“All of our attention is now focused on going to Australia. In terms of the recent issues, we will be seeking a resolution to that.

“We were extremely disappointed by the totally unfounded allegations that were made and are expecting an apology.”

Andrew Strauss: We were absolutely determined to win against Pakistan

The relief Andrew Strauss felt was obvious. You could see it in his smile and hear it in his voice. The least-loved series has finally come to an end, England winning the final match by 121 runs. When the last wicket fell England celebrated as though they had won a major trophy, not a tinpot cup for yet another one-day series at the end of a long summer.

This match mattered, to the players and to the supporters who filled the Rose Bowl, their roars still echoing around the rafters long after the final ball had been bowled. When Strauss left his post-match press conference he was treated to an ovation from the fans waiting outside. After everything that has happened these last few weeks there was more than the series at stake last night. England were motivated by stronger fuel than the simple desire to win their sixth straight rubber. Asked by one mischievous journalist if he had had "nightmare visions" of Pakistan lifting the trophy, Strauss paused, chuckled and admitted that actually yes, he had. Typically it was the kind of question he would have been too diplomatic to answer.

Last night he made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. "We were absolutely determined to win this game," he said. "It was a huge game of cricket. We have been to some pretty unpleasant places as a team over the last few days and we showed a lot of unity and togetherness.

"We came out today determined to finish on a high. Having been 2-0 up in the series and being quite cosy and comfortable about things it was a bit of a shock to the system to suddenly be 2-2, especially given what went on over the last week."

Unity and togetherness. He used the phrase twice. Strauss thinks his team will be stronger for this experience, that their will has been tested and strengthened by what they have been through. "If this series has proved anything it is that unity and togetherness are absolutely crucial at all times. We will have gained a hell of a lot from what has gone on in the last few weeks in terms of bringing us closer together and fighting our corner and that can only stand us in good stead for Australia."

Australia. This time tomorrow all the talk will be of the Ashes. And while Strauss admitted that he and his team were "keen to move on from the series", he reiterated his message to the ICC that it cannot afford to sweep these issues under the carpet. "The ICC need to take a firm lead," he said. "It would be very easy to say the series is over, things will calm down and cricket will return to normal. If we do that we will have to contend with this again at some stage in the future."

The headlines and conversations will soon move on, but spot-fixing is not going to go away just because people stop paying so much attention to it. "This summer has clearly demonstrated that when there is a sniff of something in the air it devalues the whole game and no one wants to play cricket in those circumstances."

As for Shahid Afridi, he too seemed relieved that he would not have to face any more questions from the press. Not that he has been providing many answers. After last night's match he laughed off even the more serious inquiries of Sky's interviewers, insisting that the players were all friends, that Pakistan would be bound to be welcomed back to England in the future to play more neutral Tests and that his team had forgiven Jonathan Trott for his argument with Wahab Riaz in the nets at Lord's. That was more than the Pakistani fans have managed – Trott was viciously jeered and booed all night long, both in the field and at bat.

The sorriest part of it is that suspicious minds have become commonplace.

Last night's match sparked predictable speculation. Pakistan raced to 63 in under 13 overs, then scored 72 runs in the next 24 – rather than credit England's bowling, some pundits and members of the public privately preferred to question Pakistan's motivation. And understandably so. No one is sure what to believe any more.

Pakistan-England Cricket Scandal Continues After Players Fight

England batsman Jonathan Trott and Pakistan cricketer Wahab Riaz needed to be pulled apart by England's Graham Gooch after the pair grabbed each other's throats and threw cricket equipment at one another during the warm-up for the two sides' fourth, one-day international.

Apparently Trott was heard saying to Riaz – one of the five players on the Pakistan team to be under investigation – “How much money are you going to make from the bookies?

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said: "When Riaz was returning after warming up, Trott called him a 'match-fixer' and that he was harming Test cricket and hit his face with the pad.

"It could have been a police case, because it is crime to hit someone. But we showed a big heart and did not press for it."

David Collier, chief executive of the ECB (England & Wales Cricket Board) commented: "We are very fortunate that we have the experience of a neutral man in (match referee) Jeff Crowe, who dealt with it immediately. It is a closed matter.

"I think feelings have been high in the last 24 hours. We don't hide behind that, though. We admit that feelings were strong, so that is bound to spill over."

Following the investigations into five of the Pakistan cricketers being allegedly involved in match-fixing, Ijaz Butt – chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board – made “unsubstantiated” claims that members of the England team also were involved in recent match-fixing. This has deeply angered the England team, which commented in a statement:

"The team deplores and rejects unreservedly the suggestion that any England cricketer was involved in manipulating the outcome, or any individual element, of the third ODI at The Oval between England and Pakistan last week.

"The players fully understand their responsibilities as representatives of their country, and would not countenance giving less than 100 per cent in any match they play."

England captain, Andrew Strauss, said: "We refute these allegations completely and will be working closely with the ECB to explore all legal options open to us."

Pakistan match-fixing claims: Lord's remains genteel as crisis rumbles on

According to the anthropologist Kate Fox, our typical reaction to offensive behaviour extends no further than "frowns and glares accompanied by heavy sighs, pointed coughs, tutting and muttering".

Fox could have found more evidence to support her thesis at Lord's on Monday. The English members of a 20,000-strong crowd remained scrupulously polite – on the surface, at least – while privately bemoaning the fact that cricket had been taken over by renegades and shysters. "You just can't believe what you see on the field any more," said Jonathan, 27, from Essex. So why did he come to the game then? "Well, I bought the ticket in May, and Lord's is always a nice day out. Plus, the sun's shining.

One MCC member, who declined to be named, put up a passionate defence of the Pakistanis' rights. "I feel very sorry for them," he said. "Imagine you are a young talented guy, and there's half a village depending on the money you bring in. I deplore these so-called 'stings' – they're just entrapment by another name."

Lord's is not renowned for its revolutionary sentiments. Even so, it was still a surprise to see the pavilion crowded with egg-and-bacon ties. That meant some 3,000 MCC members had turned out to watch this discredited match – because they just felt like a day at the match. If this is what cricket in crisis looks like, the sport must be healthier than we thought.

The spectators in the Mound Stand could barely hear above the choruses of "Pakistan! Zindabad!" (Long live Pakistan). Ijaz Butt's sabre-rattling counter-attack drew a mixed response from the lime-green quarter. "The ICC shouldn't have come out with all those accusations," said Muhammad Amir, 22, who just happens to share a name with the man at the centre of the spot-fixing scandal. "I think he [Butt] did the right thing – he stood up for our country."

Khan Juna, 57, took a less combative stance. "We are embarrassed by that statement – you can't just come out with those sorts of allegations without evidence. The ICC have to get a grip on this whole business, otherwise the World Cup is going to be a disaster."

Forget the World Cup for a minute – what about tomorrow's final match at the Rose Bowl? Lord's may be a genteel outpost of British reserve, but the atmosphere in the shires can turn decidedly lively for these day-night matches. From the ECB to the Pakistani players, everyone will be relieved when this tour is finally over.

Afridi rubbishes spot-fixing allegations in third ODI

Pakistan's ODI captain Shahid Afridi has rubbished allegations of spot fixing following his side's 23-run victory in the third one-dayer against England at the Oval. The match had come under the scanner following claims by British tabloid 'The Sun' that bookies knew details of Pakistan's innings even before Friday's third one-dayer began. The ICC in a statement said that investigation is warranted as information about a certain scoring pattern appeared to be "correct".

The allegations, however, have left Afridi shocked. "I thought we played hard cricket and tried our level best to win the match. I just see these new allegations as an attempt to put pressure on the team," Afridi was quoted as saying on Geo TV.

"It is very unfortunate because the players have been under pressure since the Lords Test and the one-day series is still wide open," the flamboyant skipper said.

The Pakistan skipper has, however, called for exemplary punishment if anyone is found guilty, but only on the basis of concrete proofs and the evidence should be made public.

The latest allegations come on the heels of Scotland Yard's investigations into the three Pakistani players' -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif -- alleged involvement in spot fixing during the Lord's Test last month.

The three accused players are presently in Pakistan, serving ICC's suspension.

The win at the Oval has given Pakistan a chance to win the one-day series, provided they win the next two games.

"Our job right now is to focus on the remaining two matches and that is what I have told the players. The board will handle the rest," Afridi said.

The skipper had some good news for Pakistani fans as wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has recovered from the finger injury he suffered during the third one-dayer and will be available for the next match on Sunday.

Pakistan cricket team face fresh spot-fixing investigation

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched an investigation into yesterday's one-day international between England and Pakistan following allegations that a scoring pattern in Pakistan's innings was prearranged.

The ICC said the investigation was based on information received from the Sun newspaper. The ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said: "A source informed the Sun newspaper that a certain scoring pattern would emerge during certain stages of the match and, broadly speaking, that information appeared to be correct.

The investigation follows an earlier scandal on the tour, when a players' agent allegedly received money for organising players to bowl no-balls at prearranged times so as to fix spot-betting markets.

Pakistan won the match by 23 runs. It was the third of the one-day series.

The Sun claimed it had passed on the information to the ICC before yesterday's match at The Oval began after receiving details of calls between a Dubai-based match-fixer and a Delhi bookie.

"Cricket chiefs then watched as Pakistan's score mirrored the target that bookies had been told in advance by a fixer," the newspaper said.

The Sun's report said ICC officials began their investigation before Pakistan's innings had ended, and that "it is not thought that the overall result was fixed, only scoring rates in parts of Pakistan's innings".

The ICC said it would work with Sun staff and sources to "ensure full truth surrounding this match is ascertained".

A Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman, Nadeem Sarwar, said: "The ICC has already issued it's statement and we don't think it is appropriate for us to comment at this stage."

The Pakistan team have been dogged by fixing claims throughout the tour. The earlier no-ball fixing allegations resulted in the ICC suspending Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir while a fourth Pakistan player, Wahab Riaz, was questioned by Scotland Yard last Tuesday.

The suspended cricketers had replied to the notices of the ICC, but the game's governing body has yet to set a date for a hearing. That initial fixing controversy had triggered calls from some quarters for the remainder of the tour to be called off.

England v Pakistan: England hoping to regain centre stage at Oval

With Andrew Flintoff's retirement joining the ongoing corruption enquiries and the county championship finale at the top of the agenda, England's ninth match of the summer against an under-strength Pakistan side is in danger of feeling like a sideshow.

But Surrey say they have sold virtually every one of their 23,000 tickets, so the atmosphere in Kennington should be lively enough – if a little chilly given the 1pm start."It is a bit frustrating what's happened to the back end of this summer," Graeme Swann said on Thursday, in a tactful allusion to the spot-fixing scandal. "But if we can get a nice boozy crowd in here, doing the Mexican wave as normal, then hopefully we can focus on the cricket again.

It has been a successful, if arduous, summer for the England side, who have already disposed of Bangladesh in Tests and one-dayers, Australia in one-dayers and Pakistan in Tests and Twenty20s. They hold a 2-0 lead in this 50-over series with three matches left to play. "Pakistan have shown a hell of a lot of fight in the last two games," Swann said. "Especially in the last one, where we aided them somewhat with our schoolboy fielding display. To chase down 295 at Headingley was a good test."