Deep Backward Point

Blog against the machine.

Tag: match-fixing

June 13, 2013

Ashraful

On the 12th of February, 2013, during the Bangladesh Premier League, I wrote the following article accusing Mohammad Ashraful of match-fixing.

I never published it, because it’s a serious allegation that shouldn’t be made without clear evidence. Here is what I wrote:

∞

Let me present to you the following, without comment.

On February 12, Barisal Burners played the Dhaka Gladiators in the Bangladesh Premier League.

Dilshan opened with Mohammad Ashraful for Dhaka, who were already through to the next round.

After 10 overs, Ashraful had scored 16 off 23.

He was batting with Shakib Al Hasan.

Here is what happened in the 11th over, per Cricinfo:

Hamid Hassan to Mohammad Ashraful, OUT, short delivery and played to point, Ashraful called for the run and hesitated in the end, Shakib responded to the call and left his crease, and easy run out at the bowlers end, Ashraful what have you just done?
Shakib Al Hasan run out 8 (9m 2b 0x4 1×6) SR: 400.00

Immediately, Mohammad Isam, Bangladesh’s Cricinfo correspondent on Twitter:

A little while later, Ashraful ran himself out.

∞

The YouTube video that I had a link to is now gone, but if you ever find a video of Match 38 of BPL 2013, Shakib’s run out is worth watching.

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June 11, 2011

The Sports Illustrated Fizzle

On 6th May, 2011, the story broke: Sports Illustrated India had a big match-fixing cover story. More than a month later, turns out what they had was either circumstantial, hearsay or just plain bunk.

Here’s their silly central conceit, in awesome pictorial form:

Sports Illustrated Plays Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Loses

Go on, and read the rest of the article. Actually, don’t. It is a terrible piece of journalism, as evidenced by the picture above. They either had no story, or had no one to back up the story they had. Either way, the story they ran with was this.

Bad people have been seen with other people who have been heard talking to these other people who may represent cricket players. Or not.

∞

Also, what kind of magazine has no web site? For a brand like Sports Illustrated, with a story as “big” as the one they broke last month, to not have a web site is criminal. I could go on a rant like my epic Willow TV one, but I just don’t care about SI the way I care about Willow. So someone else will have to fight that battle.

I’ll just say that they need to hire a web developer. And real journalists.

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