Pakistan's January Test defeat to Australia came under renewed scrutiny today after it emerged an agent at the centre of a 'spot-fixing' scandal met players a few weeks after the match.
The Australian newspaper printed what it said was a photo of Mazhar Majeed, the London-based businessman who has been quizzed by police over the scandal, dining with several players at a Perth restaurant three weeks after the match.
The report comes after opening batsman Yasir Hameed claimed the Sydney Test, in which Australia recovered from almost certain defeat to record a rousing win, was fixed for illegal bookmaking syndicates.
"In the Sydney Test Match they made £1.8 million (Dh10.1m)," Hameed told British newspaper the News of the World in an undercover video recording. "They gave away the match."
Hameed has since insisted that his comments were "largely inaccurately reported".
Reports also said the International Cricket Council (ICC) had written to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who put down four catches in the Sydney Test, on an unknown matter.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif have been suspended after the News of the World allegedly caught Majeed organising no-balls to order during last month's Lord's Test against England.
The newspaper filmed Majeed receiving £150,000 to facilitate the scam.
Reports in British media at the weekend said up to £15,000 in marked bills paid in the newspaper sting had been recovered from the players' hotel rooms by investigators.
Pakistan's players, meanwhile, were struggling to keep their minds on their upcoming Twenty20 match with England on Tuesday.
The captain Shahid Afridi lashed out at former teammate Hameed following the player's comments to the News of the World.
"We have known him for a long time and we can expect anything from him. He has been doing these type of things a lot of times," Afridi said.
Asked if Hameed was unreliable, he replied: "Yeah, the people know which type of character he is."
Former England captain Geoff Boycott said it was no surprise that Pakistan were repeatedly implicated in corruption scandals, as the cricket authorities had never clamped down hard enough on past cases.
The no-nonsense Yorkshireman urged the authorities to offer teenager Aamer a plea bargain.
"Tell the truth about what took place and he can get off with a lighter sentence. If he won't play ball, then make an example of him," he wrote in The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
"I feel for Aamer, because any 18-year-old is likely to get dragged along by his seniors. But I still believe that he deserves a lengthy ban - seven years, perhaps - if he is shown to have bowled no-balls to order.
"As for the others, they should be treated even more harshly, because they have no excuse."
* AFP
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Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
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THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
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Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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Arsenal 2
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21 Lessons for the 21st Century
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Our family matters legal consultant
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Profile
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As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
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