The BCCI on Sunday rubbished the fresh claims that the 2011 India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal could have been fixed, saying such a suggestion was an insult to the Indian team, which had worked hard for the victory, says a report in Deccan Chronicle.
A British sports-betting journalist in his yet to be launched book has raised doubts that the match between the two arch-rivals may have been fixed.
BCCI President N Srinivasan however dismissed the claims. "I don't generally comment on such newspaper reports but this is the farthest from the truth. And it is an insult to the Indian team which worked hard to win," Srinivasan told reporters.
According to a report in Mid-Day, then ICC chief Haroon Lorgat said in a statement: “The story carried by the newspaper, in which it has claimed that the ICC is investigating the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi-final between India and Pakistan, is baseless and misleading. “The ICC has no reason or evidence to require an investigation into this match. “It is indeed sad for spurious claims to be made which only serve to cause doubt on the semi-final of one of the most successful ICC Cricket World Cups ever.”
Ijaz Butt, who was chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board at the time of the match, has called for the current board to take the matter to the ICC. “I am no longer the chairman and it is not right for me to say anything now but I think the current chairman should take up this issue with the ICC,” he said.
Meanwhile a report in The Times Of India says that if this was a coincidence, then it was certainly a remarkable one. Pakistan’s innings in the 2011 cricket World Cup semi-final almost exactly mirrored a prediction by a bookie, claims sports journalist Ed Hawkins in a new book, ‘Bookie Gambler Fixer Spy’.
Sachin Tendulkar was dropped four times while scoring 85 against Pakistan in the World Cup semifinal at Mohali — a match that virtually brought both countries to a standstill. The audience at the ground included Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his then Pakistan counterpart Yousuf Gilani, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress No. 2 Rahul Gandhi, among others.
According to the book, Hawkins claims that during the match, a bookie contact of his, whom he identifies as ‘Parthiv’, sent him a message that read, “Bookie update…India will bat first and score over 260, 3 wickets fall within the first 15 overs, Pak will cruise to 100, then lose two quick wickets, at 150 they will be five down and crumble and lose by a margin of over 20 runs”.
In the event, India batted first and scored exactly 260. Only 1 wicket (Virender Sehwag for a quickfire 38) fell by the end of the 15th over. According to Hawkins, “This would be enough to exonerate India from wrongdoing.”
