Yasir Hameed Claims He didn’t Talk, But Truth is Otherwise

Article first published as Yasir Hameed Claims He didn’t Talk, But Truth is Otherwise on Technorati.

Pakistan opening batsman Yasir Hameed

As if to make another twist to the saga of spot-fixing and match-fixing allegations directed at Pakistan cricket players Yasir Hameed, the opening test batsman for Pakistan test team, denied of talking to the British tabloid “News of The World (NOTW).” Yesterday the tabloid reported that it was going to make sensational revelations and claimed it had talked to a Pakistan batsman and quoted him as saying "They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match. God knows what they were up to. It makes me angry because I'm playing my best and they are trying to lose." Now the player, Yasir Hameed, is denying the story. He claimed he was innocent and didn’t speak to any newspaper. He was quoted by Reuters as saying he was going to tell the team manager that the story was wrong.

Facts are Different

But the facts are telling a different story. The tabloid revealed on Sunday on its website it was Hameed who blown the lid out. NOTW quoted Yasir Hameed as refusing bribes of up to £150,000 from a corrupt bookmaker to throw matches and lost his own place in the team because of his refusal. Yasir’s colleagues earned expensive sport cars and other properties by illegal sporting and Yasir learned that the shameless players pocketed an astonishing £1.8 million for rigging a test match against Australia earlier this year, Yasir was quoted as saying by the tabloid.

Video Proof

The tabloid ‘News of the World’ posted 2 minutes 20 seconds video that showed Yasir Hameed talking to a person (supposed to be a reporter) about making money, fixing matches, buying expensive cars. “I would have come in a Ferrari to see you if I agreed to their offer,” Yasir claimed at an instance in the video. The video can be watched on this page. The website also provided a link to ‘more videos’ on the said video footage. When fixing is a crime to be punished, what about denying to have talked something that have already been talked? Maybe Yasir did not know that what he was talking to whom he was talking, was going to be published on a tabloid and a website. Yasir Hameed should reveal whatever he knows about match-fixing, spot-fixing and other wrongdoings at least to the Pakistan Cricket Board to protect the ‘Cricket Pakistan’