by Abdul Habib
5th September 2010

Just as Pakistan fans and players thought that the furore was dying down; the News of the World (NOTW) has put forward fresh allegations. This time the allegations centre on a casual conversation with Yasir Hameed.

The NOTW secretly recorded an informal meeting between Hameed and the NOTW's Mazhar Mahmood. Hameed was unaware of Mahmood''s real identity nor that his comments were being made to a reporter and were going to be on the record. Yet despite all the secrecy the NOTW weren't able to achieve anything other than to get Hameed to implicate himself.

One thing that will escape most non-Muslim readers is the way that the undercover reporter made specific reference to Hameed drinking white wine. Back home in Pakistan many people will be angrier at Hameed (a Muslim) drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan than about him not reporting an approach from a bookie. The newspaper went so far as to publish a picture of Hameed sipping from a wine glass, just in case nobody noted the reference to it in the article.

Hameed shot himself in the foot during this conversation when he claimed that he has turned down an offer of £150,000 from a bookie. If this revelation was more than just empty bravado then Hameed will now be in trouble with the ACSU for not disclosing the approach when it happened.

But the above wasn't a big enough exclusive for the NOTW so they decided to doctor the translation of what Hameed said to create a story out of nothing. Unfortunately for the NOTW, there are over a billion people on the planet who can understand the language Hameed is speaking in. The NOTW may have been able to fool the likes of the BBC and Sky News but they can't fool everyone.

Let's examine the main allegations the NOTW have bought forward today.


Hameed alleges that the Sydney test was fixed to the tune of £1.8 million

This is a deliberate lie on the part of the NOTW. In fact when Hameed is asked about the Australian tour he replies that he wasn't there. Hameed goes on to refer to news reports (the NOTW sting) rather than personal experience. The NOTW reporter repeats what was said in the paper and Hameed just agrees. At no point does he refer to a personal experience or state that he personally knows that the Sydney test was fixed.


The players all discuss and know about matches being fixed

Again this is a fabrication. The reporter asks if the players have discussed this amongst themselves. It's a very open question and Hameed had just been talking about the NOTW reports. So he replies 'yes' and doesn't elaborate. The reporter then says 'You must talk about it, definitely' but Hameed doesn't respond to that. All this proves is that the players have been discussing the NOTW story but if that's proof of guilt, then doesn't that implicate all of us? The fact that the NOTW story is being discussed by Pakistani players is not news, it's common sense!


Almost all Pakistan matches have been fixed

The undercover reporter says to Hameed 'they've said it's being done in every match' to which Hameed replies with 'about that figure' but when the reporter pushes him saying 'are you sure.' Hameed replies with 'Only God would know that' and then admits he's quoting the NOTW sting with the words 'this is what reports are saying, that Scotland Yard has been after them for a long time'


So basically, as can be seen from above, the NOTW has indulged in distorting the facts to try and sell newspapers. But then that shouldn't surprise most of us about a newspaper that has been subject of many lawsuits in the past.

What has been disappointing in this saga is the way that Sky News and the BBC News have just blindly accepted the NOTW translation without getting it checked by their own Urdu language staff first. Today's story doesn't shed any new light on the ongoing investigation. All it does is expose the pack mentality of the media who, rather than verify what the NOTW was saying, were more interested in burying Pakistan cricket even deeper.

Below is a far more accurate translation of the Hameed video that is available on the NOTW website...



The duping of Yasir Hameed

Anything in italics has been added by me


[The video starts somewhere in the middle of the conversation]


Yasir Hameed: Allegations are being made.

Undercover Reporter: What's this all about, we're in a lot of difficulty. This is giving us a bad name.

Yasir Hameed: Yes, we're getting a bad name.

Undercover Reporter: They've been caught.


[Part of the conversation cut out]


Undercover Reporter: Have you looked into it. You (players) dont have any agents or managers.

Yasir Hameed: There (could also mean they, as in the Majeeds) are agents but they are ba****d bookies.

Undercover Reporter: Yes, they're thieves.


[Part of the conversation cut out]


Undercover Reporter: Has he (Mazhar Majeed) asked to work with you

Yasir Hameed: He's never discussed fixing with me

Undercover Reporter: ok

Yasir Hameed: He (Majeed) had already been with these lads (the 3 accused) for the last 4 or 5 years.

Undercover Reporter: He was with them?


[Part of the conversation appears to be cut out]


Yasir Hameed: But I escaped, it's fate. God saved me. (But saved him from what? Why was the previous bit cut out?)

Undercover Reporter: Look they did this in Australia as well. You didn't play in Australia did you?

Yasir Hameed: No, I didn't

Undercover Reporter: They did it big there too

Yasir Hameed: Yes in the Sydney test, £1.8 million (here Hameed, who wasn't in Australia, is clearly referring to the NOTW sting and gets the amount wrong)

Undercover Reporter: You must discuss this amongst yourselves (very open and leading question. Does it refer to the NOTW sting or fixing in general?)

Yasir Hameed: Yes.

Undercover Reporter: You must talk about it, definitely.

Yasir Hameed: (no response)

Undercover Reporter: They've said that it's being done in every match.

Yasir Hameed: About that figure

Undercover Reporter: Are you sure.

Yasir Hameed: God would know that (as in Hameed has no info on that), this is what the reports are saying, that Scotland Yard has been after them for a long time (this clearly shows that Hameed is quoting from the NOTW sting).

Undercover Reporter: ok


[Part of the conversation cut out]


Yasir Hameed: The one who gets caught is the thief

Undercover Reporter: Exactly, exactly.

Undercover Reporter: (explaining to someone else) He said the ones who get caught are the crooks but the ones who don't are alright. (here the reporter adds his own interpretation to Hameeds statement for the benefit of the hidden camera)


[Part of the conversation cut out]


Undercover Reporter: £150,000

Yasir Hameed: The money was laid out before him and for that £150,000 he was telling them when no balls would be bowled. Imagine what they were going to do in the future, just think about it. (Quite clearly speculating on the NOTW video like all of us have been. No proof of anything)

Undercover Reporter: That's true

Yasir Hameed: Can you imagine? (No proof or statement, just imagination)


[Part of the conversation cut out]


Yasir Hameed: Of course, why not. I was put out of the team because of these bad things. Because I never got involved. Imagine you're sat there and you're a bookie and you tell me that you want to fix the match tomorrow. I've met lots of people like that in the past.

Undercover Reporter: They approached you?

Yasir Hameed: Yeah, I refused.

Undercover Reporter: Good

Yasir Hameed: Yeah I refused, they offered me handsome money. I would've come to see you in a Ferrari.

Undercover Reporter: ok

Yasir Hameed: I mean, they give you enough money to fulfil your dreams, buy a car. That's the sort of money they were giving me.

Undercover Reporter: How much did they used to offer you?

Yasir Hameed: Mate, big money. I was offered up to £150,000.

Undercover Reporter: You were offered £150,000

Yasir Hameed: Think how big is £150,000

~~ Ends ~~