GIVING ORDERS: Majeed boasted of his ability to fix cricket matches
News Of The World
05/09/2010
THE INSIDE STORY: Mazher closes in on the match-fixer with £150k
OUR suite at the Copthorne hotel was all ready, with hidden cameras and recording equipment, when Majeed walked in for the big handover.
I’d crammed the money, all in bundles of £2,500, into a briefcase and shoved it in a drawer. Majeed insisted on walking around the room to check there was nobody else there.
I took the briefcase out and opened it, handing him bundle after bundle of notes. Majeed neatly stacked up the money on the coffee table to count it carefully. Then he packed the notes back into the case.
He then explained precisely when the three Lord’s Test no-balls would happen. After the last one was delivered it was time to call in the police.
HOME OF A FIXER: Majeed welcomes us in to discuss arranging no-balls at the Oval Test
SHOWDOWN CALLS, Majeed to our man, August 21,22 and 25
These are the calls that up the stakes for the shocking Lord’s Test fixes.
In the first at 8pm on August 21, Majeed explains the players want to see the colour of our money – all £150,000 of it – to welcome us into the betting circle.
Majeed: I’ve been speaking with the boys and it (the small £10,000 payment) doesn’t work this way. I could call five people right now and they’d deliver three to four hundred thousand to my house right now. Yeah. I was doing the no-balls for you because, you know, no big deal and you’re a nice guy and it’s no big deal.”
In a second call on Sunday, August 22, Majeed tells us he would give us the £150,000 back if we weren’t satisfied. He says the players are asking: “Why isn’t he parting with (the £150,000), usually is 250 anyway we’ve got. Why isn’t he parting with 150?”
On Wednesday, August 25 – the eve of the Fourth Test at Lord’s – our man phones Majeed to tell him he has the £150,000 buy-in money. Unknown to Majeed, that money – in £50 bundles – has been brought into the News of the World offices, where every serial number has been being filmed and recorded as evidence – ready for the handover…
HANDOVER MEETING, Copthorne Tara hotel, London, August 25
Majeed arrives at 10.45pm at our man’s suite – Room 1273 – where hidden cameras have been carefully placed to film the crucial piece of evidence in the fix.
Bent fixer Majeed takes £140,000 in cash from our undercover reporter
Majeed: I can tell you now exactly what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m talking about when we bowl.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: This is what it’s going to be, yeah? You’re going to do this now (the handover) to show me you are serious.
DEAL: Majeed takes regular calls at home from players
Reporter: Right.
Majeed: Then I’m going to prove to you, I’m serious.
Reporter: I’ve got the money.
Our man reaches into a cupboard and pulls out the money-filled briefcase which is emptied out on to a coffee table where one of the £2,500 bundles is opened up by Majeed and counted. There is £140,000 to add to the £10,000 we have already given him, making up the final £150,000 figure.
Majeed: I’m going to tell you now, yeah, exactly. I’m going to give you three no-balls, OK, to prove to you firstly that this is what’s happening.
Reporter: OK. Right.
Majeed: The no-balls are the easiest. There’s no risk, there’s no signal. These three are definitely happening.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: They’ve all been organised, OK. So the first ball of the third over of the innings, yeah? Asif and Amir are going to be bowling.
Reporter: So do we know which one?
Majeed: That is going to be Amir. Amir is going to bowl the first over, yeah.
Reporter: So the first ball… Is there any signal?
Majeed: No signal. It’ll just happen.
Reporter: It’s a no-ball, OK.
Majeed: OK. Then the tenth, the last ball, sixth ball of the tenth over. Asif will be bowling it.
Reporter: OK.
SHADY: Majeed even keeps TV recordings of past Pakistan cricket matches he claims to have rigged
For the last no-ball, Majeed explained that it would happen in an over when left-handed Amir bowled round the wicket (on the left hand side of the umpire)
Majeed: The over he goes round the wicket, the last ball of that over will be another no-ball… After you see these three, yeah, you’ll know that’s no coincidence, yes or no?
Reporter: Well if there’s going to be three and that happens, then yeah.
Majeed: I’ve given you the three.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: This is what’s going to happen.
Reporter: OK.
His detailed account of what would happen came true the next day – August 26 – when bowler Amir and his strike bowling partner Asif bowled the first two no-balls EXACTLY when Majeed said they would the night BEFORE.
The deliveries surprised Sky Sports commentators as the bowlers’ feet were so far over the crease and into the banned area.
But with bad light and rain stopping play, the third no-ball – relating to left-handed Amir coming around the wicket – did NOT take place.
FOLLOWING the no-balls from Asif and Amir that took place, Majeed calls at 10.15pm to ask us if we’re convinced, boasting about what he and his players had pulled off, and asking: “You a bit more comfortable now?”
In the call – which was recorded – he tells us a third no-ball, again relating to Amir’s bowling – will be bowled during the next day’s play. Greedy Majeed asks for even more money.
Reporter: OK, what we going to get tomorrow then? Tomorrow we’ve got the third no-ball?
Majeed: Yeah, I’ll give you the other no-ball, yeah, right. And you need to give me ten (£10,000) more, OK.
Reporter: OK. So shall we meet? I’ll ring you tomorrow. And we’ll try and meet tomorrow.
Majeed: OK.
Reporter: So third no-ball exactly the same.
Majeed: Yeah, get that out the way. What it is, I’ll tell you right now what it is. Right, it’s going to be Amir’s third over and third ball.
PHONE: Mobile Majeed used to contact captain Butt
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: It’ll be HIS third over, not the third over of the game.
Reporter: His third over, OK, got it.
To clarify the no-ball plan, Majeed texts our man at 11.34pm asking him to give him a call.
During the call, he tells us: “Hello boss, just to tell you so there’s no confusion yeah, right, he’s finishing the third over he’s currently bowling yeah. (Bad weather had stopped that day’s play when Amir was part way through an over.)
Majeed adds: “So once that’s over, then the third ball of the following three. Do you get what I’m saying? So we don’t count the one that he’s doing now.”
But shortly before play begins at Lord’s on the Friday morning, Majeed again texts, asking our man to call him.
He then says: “There’s no point doing the third one now. Because it goes to an over, we don’t want any risk going on to Sunday, yeah? This looks too obvious, yeah, I only done the two to show you.”
He then reveals that Amir texted him to say: “Shall I do it or not?”
But during play on Friday morning, with teen star Mohammad Amir “on fire” and taking England wickets one after the other, our man gets another call from Majeed – who has several phones for security – asking for a call back to his “other number”.
He explains the third no-ball may be OFF and tells our man not to place bets on it – due to Amir’s sparkling form.
Majeed: Hello.
Reporter: He’s doing well.
Majeed: Yeah. No, no, I’ll explain, because he’s only bowled nine balls today he’s already got three wickets.
Reporter: Yeah, yeah.
Majeed: Yeah, so the captain might go up and say, ‘Listen, if you get a no- ball… you’re bloody… what if you do a no-ball you get a wicket?’ So much is happening out there at the moment. Yeah.
Reporter: Yeah.
Majeed: All I’m saying is he might do it, he might not.
Reporter: Right, OK.
Majeed: All right. What I’m saying is, it’s not guaranteed.
Reporter: All right, OK.
DAMNING FINAL HANDOVER: Majeed counts cash at hotel
Majeed: So just keep that in mind. Obviously the guaranteed ones were yesterday.
When your four wickets fall in two overs you can’t guarantee that.
Reporter: Sure.
Majeed: Yeah, ‘cos anything can change on the pitch.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: So he might… he might not. Just don’t put anything on it, OK? Obviously I’m telling you beforehand, OK.
As the record books show, Amir DID bowl a no-ball on the third ball of his third full over of that incredible morning’s play.
It came right after he had an on-field conference with captain Salman Butt – and was met with disbelief by commentators on Sky Sports, who were covering the game live.
Following the wayward delivery by Amir – who went on to pick up a £4,000 cheque upon being named player of the Test series – Majeed phoned our man.
Again, the conversation was taped for evidence purposes.
Majeed: Hello.
Reporter: Yes. Spot on you are. Spot on. No doubt.
Majeed: I’m not a joker, boss, OK.
Reporter: You’re not, you’re not.
Majeed: Yeah, I told you.
Grasping Majeed then asked us to deliver a further £10,000 pounds to him that evening. Instead, we delivered our evidence to Scotland Yard on Saturday morning.
Later in the day, officers swooped to arrest Majeed at his home in Croydon on Saturday. He has since been bailed.
Amir, Asif and Butt were then quizzed by officers on Friday. A day earlier they were charged under the anti-corruption code of the International Cricket Council.
And at a press conference on Friday, Sir Ronnie Flanaghan, chairman of the ICC Anti-Corruption & Security Unit, said: “If these charges are proven, I congratulate the News of the World.”
News Of The World
