Apologies for Kumarine

Wednesday 19th October, 2011 Butt says he believed agent’s explanation Junaid grabs five as LONDON (AP) — Former unknown to bowl pre-planned telling Majeed. “He said I am Pakistan cricket captain no-balls. Butt and Asif deny your friend and I have known Salman Butt told a court in the charges. you many years and I am just London on Monday why he did Butt’s comments came on checking if you are doing Pakistan take control not report his agent to author- the heels of the prosecution’s something dodgy or not. I took ities for asking him to fix eight-day opening. Butt, his word for this explanation. BY CRAIG COZIER matches. responding to questions from “He said he was trying to Butt, taking the witness his lawyer Ali Bajwa provided test me with something non- ABU DHABI, United Arab stand for the first time on the the background to the mes- serious. In four years there Emirates (AP) — Left-arm pacer ninth day of the alleged spot- sages that followed Pakistan’s was nothing like this - some- Junaid Khan grabbed 5-38 fixing trial also involving woeful 2009-10 tour of thing very serious. Anyone in Tuesday as Pakistan toppled Sri bowler Mohammad Asif, told Australia when the team lost my place would have had sus- Lanka for 197 to seize an early advantage in the first cricket Test Southwark Crown Court how every match. picions about it. I did not at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. agent Mazhar Majeed sent him “He would say before a expect this thing to come up. I The Pakistanis replied solidly text messages asking for help game ‘give me something,’” had known him many years with 27-0 at close on a sun-baked in fixing elements of a game Butt told the court. “I didn’t and he had never done this opening day. against South Africa at the like it and I felt bad about it. I thing before. Mohammad Hafeez was Twenty20 World Cup in 2010. told him we are not what you “I didn’t report it to the unbeaten on 17 while left-hander He was also later asked are thinking of us. We don’t ICC because this is someone I Taufeeq Umar was 8 not out. about the times Majeed asked lose intentionally. But it didn’t had known for quite a length Earlier, the 21-year-old Junaid him to fix aspects of a test make any difference to him.” of time now and he meant grabbed his maiden five-wicket match against England at The Ahead of the match with what he said to me in his haul to derail the Sri Lankans Oval last year. All internation- South Africa, Majeed sent Butt explanation. I had worked after a solid start. Junaid, in only his second al cricketers receive training a text message stating: “in sev- with him a couple of years.” Test, was well supported by off- and advice on anti-corruption enth and eighth over, one fall Bajwa also addressed the spinner Saeed Ajmal (2-56) and fel- matters and are bound by con- (wicket) in each, this will only court and suggested that they low seamers Umar Gul (2-37) and tracts to report such activity. work if you score in the first “concede” there seemed to be Aizaz Cheema (1-51). Butt and Asif are facing two overs and no wickets.” a “criminal conspiracy” Only Angelo Mathews, with an charges of conspiracy to In that game against South between Majeed and Amir but assured, unbeaten 52 off 99 balls cheat, and conspiracy to Africa on May 10, the left-han- claimed that his client was not managed long-term resistance for obtain and accept corrupt pay- der was out in the second over. party to it. the visitors. The 24-year-old vice- ments, following the match in Butt told the court that he When Butt first took the captain struck four fours and one August 2010 when they later confronted Majeed. stand, he told the court that he six in two hours, ten minutes. allegedly conspired with “You must understand I earned about 1.2 million ($1.89 Sri Lanka began slowly but Majeed, teenage fast bowler must report these things if million) since he made his steadily after being sent in with openers Tharanga Paranavitana Amir and other people they come up,” he recalled Pakistan debut in 2003. and Lahiru Thirimanne adding 48 in just under two hours. Pakistan finally struck just before lunch as Ajmal produced a flatter doosra that Thirimanne edged to Younus Khan at slip. Thirimanne, who Pakistan’s Junaid Khan, left, bowled Sri Lankan batsman Prasanna Jayawardene made 20, was boundary-free in during the first day of the Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Zayed cricket his 69-ball effort. stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Oct. 18. (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash) Cheema supplied another crucial breakthrough with the scalp of Kumar Sangakkara in Scoreboard the second over after lunch as Sri Lanka First Innings 38-5 (1nb, 1w), Ajmal 25-5-56-2. Sri Lanka slipped to 51-2. T. Paranavitana c Akmal b Gul 37 Sangakkara (2) sparred out- L. Thirimanne c Younus b Ajmal 20 Pakistan First Innings side off stump and edged K. Sangakkara c Akmal b Cheema 2 M. Hafeez not out 17 behind where wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal dived in front of M. Jayawardene c Hafeez b Junaid 28 T. Umar not out 8 first slip to pouch a brilliant T. Dilshan c Akmal b Ajmal 19 Extras: (2nb) 2 left-handed catch. A. Mathews not out 52 TOTAL: (for no wicket) 27 Akmal is the third of three P. Jayawardene b Junaid 0 Overs: 8. Akmal brothers to play for R. Herath lbw b Junaid 0 To bat: Azhar Ali, Younus Khan, Misbah- Pakistan in recent years, follow- S. Lakmal c Hafeez b Gul 18 ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Umar ing his brothers Umar and Kamal. C. Welegedara c Taufeeq b Junaid 11 Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Cheema also provided some N. Pradeep c Akmal b Junaid 1 Khan. anxious moments for another Extras: (3lb, 1w, 5nb) 9 Bowling: Welegedara 2-0-9-0 (2nb), veteran, Mahela Jayawardene, TOTAL: (all out) 197 Lakmal 3-0-8-0, Herath 2-1-2-0, Pradeep who was hit on the helmet and Overs: 74.1. 1-0-8-0. struggled against the pacer in Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-51, 3-79, 4-112, Toss: Pakistan. an absorbing duel. Jayawardene got through 5-112, 6-112, 7-114, 8-168, 9-193, 10- Umpires: Rod Tucker, Australia, and Tony that difficult start and added 28 197. Hill, New Zealand. with Paranavitana for the third Bowling: Gul 11-1-37-2 (3nb), Cheema Third umpire: Ahsan Raza, Pakistan. wicket before Gul ended the 15-5-51-1, Hafeez 9-3-12-0, Khan 14.1-3- Match referee: David Boon, Australia. three-hour resistance of Paranavitana at 79-3. then took over. He claimed the two hour before Gul returned to claim The left-hander hit three Jayawardenes, Mahela and wick- him through an edge to Hafeez at fours in 37 off 128 balls before et-keeper Prasanna, as well as first slip. he was hurried by a Gul bounc- Rangana Herath as Sri Lanka col- Mathews, who recently er and gloved a hook to Akmal lapsed dramatically to 114-7. notched his maiden test century down the leg side. Mahela nudged a short ball to Captain Tillakaratne against Australia, fashioned a first slip where Mohammad Dilshan started positively and further 25 for the ninth wicket Hafeez juggled twice before cling- shared a further 33 with with Chanaka Welegedara before ing on while Prasanna’s middle Jayawardene before Ajmal and Junaid returned to halt Sri Lanka Junaid ripped apart the innings and off stumps were splayed by a short of 200. just before tea. yorker. Herath fell leg before first Welegedara (11) eventually Dilshan (19) fell to Ajmal, ball to leave Junaid on a hat-trick. slashed a square cut to backward but was unhappy with umpire Suranga Lakmal survived that point while debutant Nuwan Tony Hill’s decision that he had and he and Mathews restored Pradeep gloved a nasty lifter for edged a ball to the wicket-keep- some respectability to the innings Akmal’s fourth catch behind the er. after tea in an eighth wicket stumps. Junaid, the wiry left-armer stand of 54. Pakistan’s openers had few who represented English coun- Lakmal contributed 18, his alarms in negotiating eight overs ty Lancashire in the summer, highest test score, in just over an before the close. Apologies for Kumarine Wedding In our back page Apart from being an bells for article titled ‘Unbeaten outstanding player for Moratuwa University over ten years, win St. Eugene’s Kumarine’s conduct IP Nalin Trophy’ yesterday, there both on and off the field Former Police bas- had been some reference has been exemplary and made with regard to the she has captained the ketball player IP Nalin choice of the best player. country with distinc- Weerawardana will The comments of the tion. Furthermore, we enter the wedded life writer had given the do understand that the today with Shyamali impression that Kumarine Silva best player’s award was Samarasinghe in Kandy. Kumarine Silva didn’t selected by none other Their wedding will take deserve the award and we sin- than another former Sri Lanka place at Hotel Suisse, cerely apologise for the unwar- captain. Kandy. ranted comment. We regret the error.

Wednesday 19th October, 2011