India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Fixer Mazhar Majeed twice tried to rig the Third Test between England and Pakistan at the Oval to prove that he could do it. According to a News of The World report, he demanded a 10,000-pound down payment before guaranteeing two no-balls on the second day of the match during a secret meeting outside a restaurant where he was dining with the team. He then stuffed the money into his jacket pocket before later opening up the coat in front of players to show them what he'd got. Majeed's plan, however, was scuppered when the no-balls fix - already arranged for another gambling client and planned for the third day on August 20 - had to be scrapped because the Pakistani bowling coach had warned his stars to tighten up their bowling. Undaunted, the brazen crook then offered a guarantee that Pakistan skipper Salman Butt would score no runs from the first six balls he faced on the fourth day - a maiden over. Majeed even phoned a number known to be linked to Butt to confirm it. The player's secret signal to let gambling clients know that the cheating was on was to be Butt tapping midwicket with his bat during the over, as if flattening a bump. However, again the fix was foiled. It was then that the focus shifted to fixing the current Test at Lord's. Showing his experience at match-fixing, he bragged: "Boss, I'm telling you, OK. I've been doing this constantly and for the next month you're going to see how constant it is.” He went on to boast of his past successes - saying, "Every single result we've done has come off, every single one" - before revealing he and his bent players had arranged for Pakistan to lose some of the forthcoming One Day International matches against England.

Match fixer Majeed attempted to fix Oval Test also