Cricket: Reid calls for Pakistan to be banned

John Reid. Photo / Getty Images

Former New Zealand captain and match referee John Reid says Pakistan should be thrown out of international cricket.

As the International Cricket Council gathers its evidence on the spot-fixing allegations against several members of the Pakistan team in England, Reid said it was high time decisive action was taken on those found to be involved in illegal activities.

"I would make an example of them. You've got to," the always forthright Reid said yesterday.

Not only would Reid support red-carding Pakistan for a period, he believes individuals, if found guilty of being involved in fixing, should be kicked out for good.

Reid, one of New Zealand's great cricketers, was among the first batch of match referees, standing in 98 ODIs and 50 tests from 1993-2002. His reputation was as a stickler for both the rules and the spirit of the game.

"I've had so many dealings with Pakistan over the years for one reason or another, and they've always made excuses," he said.

New-ball pair Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir are in the gun over three no-balls, apparently delivered on cue to suit spot betting in England's innings at Lord's last week.

Captain Salman Butt looks to have no hope of surviving the inquiry, and while there is a measure of sympathy in some quarters for the gifted 18-year-old Amir, there is none from Reid.

"No, I'm not sad about these youngsters. You've got to penalise them, and make a job of it.

"They're good bowlers, but if it's their career that goes down the drain, too bloody bad. They've got to be banned, and for life."

"[Butt] as captain, has to be involved in all this stuff. He can change the bowlers at the last minute, then the whole bet's gone down the drain."

Reid is not surprised at the latest dark developments in the game. "But I am surprised it has taken this long [to come to a head]".

He puts the apparent catching out of the Pakistani players in a British newspaper sting operation on the alleged middleman, Mazhar Majeed, down in part to them getting sloppy.

One no-ball, by Amir, was so far over the front line it drew comment from television commentators at the time - most no-balls are a matter of centimetres over the creaseline.

"[That delivery] was an obvious no-ball, and on the right date, the right ball. They're getting too confident because they haven't been caught before doing that," Reid said.

Reid, who was match referee during the time when South African captain Hansie Cronje, Pakistan skipper Salim Malik and Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin were banned for life for match fixing, said the complexities of cricket make catching the crooks an exacting business.

"Cricket's such a funny game. You can make 100 one day, get bowled out first ball the next. That's the game and it's so very hard to tell when you're being 'done' and when you're not."

In other developments yesterday:

*Mohammad Asif's former girlfriend, TV personality Veena Malik, claimed that Asif confessed that the team planned to throw their three-test series in Australia last season.

She claimed the entire Pakistan team was involved "from head to toe".

However, Malik's allegations are also being painted as those of a scorned woman after the pair had a messy breakup.

*Pakistan great Imran Khan said yesterday, "If, God forbid, it turns out to be true then it will be the biggest setback for Pakistan cricket and, probably, end the careers of the two best bowlers in the world."

*ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat promised a "zero-tolerance approach to corruption in cricket".

"Prompt and decisive action will be taken against those who seek to harm it."

*Former test umpire Darrell Hair has claimed cricket's governing bodies were told Pakistan might be bowling deliberate no-balls more than a decade ago.

"I was never in any real doubt all sorts of shenanigans were going on, but unfortunately at the time I couldn't get the support of the ICC. There seemed to be a lack of a will to go down that road."

*A Pakistani lawyer yesterday filed treason charges against several of the players, an offence which carries the death penalty.

"In my petition I've said that this spot-fixing amounts to dishonesty to the nation and falls under the law of treason," lawyer Ishtiaq Ahmed said.