Cricket: Stink of fixing allegations taints series

The Pakistan cricket tour begins on Boxing Day with no one quite sure whether they can win here - and with the tour tainted by the suggestion some team members might not always have tried to do so.

The series of three Twenty20s, two tests and six one-day internationals has been drenched in poor publicity for both sides. The Black Caps have been lambasted for 11 consecutive one-day losses.

The series is likely to be muted for New Zealand Cricket - it will be a significant test of fans' dedication to bolster gate-takings. At least NZC is guaranteed television earnings.

Pakistan - ironically translated as 'Land of the Pure' in their native Urdu - have the talent to win but at least eight players face spot-fixing or match-fixing allegations. Two - Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz - are part of the Twenty20 and test squads on this tour.

Three more Pakistan players suspected of spot fixing have been asked to provide details of assets and bank accounts by the Pakistan Cricket Board but, as they have not been named, it is impossible to know whether they are on this tour or not.

It is a shame the series is so tainted because it is the preamble to a crucial World Cup match between these two teams in Sri Lanka on March 8 which will dictate where they finish in the groupings - and making the semifinals.

In a further disruption to the series, the hearing for the three players - Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - alleged to have been involved in spot fixing at Lord's in August is due to be held from January 6-11 in Doha. That coincides with the first test.

Butt claimed this week that the thousands of pounds found in his hotel room during a subsequent raid were from money earned as part of his daily allowance, his bat supplier payment and his fee for officially opening an ice cream parlour in Tooting with fellow-accused Amir.

A number of other recent members of the team also have to clear their names.

A Pakistani television channel showed footage of Mazhar Majeed, the player agent at the centre of the News of the World spot-fixing scandal, saying he also used Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal, Wahab Riaz and Imran Farhat to spot-fix. Umar and Wahab are with the Pakistan team for the Twenty20 matches, the first of which starts on Boxing Day and they and Farhat have protested their innocence and threatened legal action against Majeed.

Other Pakistani cricketers under suspicion - like wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and former captain Shoaib Malik - have not been cleared by the PCB for the New Zealand tour. The reasons are vague.

Kamran was cleared for selection after writing to the ICC asking if he was being investigated for corruption.

He raised suspicions when he was dropped at the start of the year for missing four catches and a run out against Australia in Sydney. Malik was not even in the team when the allegations were levelled. He did not play in the Sydney test or at Lord's - the two matches under ICC investigation.

However, Pakistan could still produce a strong showing.

At Twenty20 level, captain Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul and Younis Khan are proven performers, while 35-year-old express bowler Shoaib Akhtar will probably be making his final appearance in these parts. The visitors could be less potent in the tests but will retain the services of Khan and Gul, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali bolstering the batting order.

Pakistan have delayed the announcement of their squad for the one-day series in New Zealand as well as the 30 probables for the World Cup because they want to further consider the clearance status of their top players.