Besides being a huge cricket fan, I am also a big Bollywood buff. I absolutely love Bollywood and enjoy the masala entertainers dished out every Friday. Unlike cricket, Bollywood rarely disappoints me. I don't mind the protagonist walking around in a crisply ironed white shirt after a long action sequence or that the main stars break out into an impromptu dance routine, along with the rest of city, to proclaim their love for each other.

I find all this thoroughly entertaining.

When a movie like Azhar hits the screens, it is a double whammy for a person like me. Cricket and Bollywood in one! Its like having the perfect combo meal - KFC with McDonalds' fries and a biscuit from Popeye's!

Azhar's life - an arranged marriage, an affair with a Bollywood actress, a dream cricket debut, rise to the Indian captaincy, and the match fixing scandal - had it all to muster up a true blue bollywood masala entertainer.

Yet it was such a major disappointment!

My biggest problem with Azhar (the movie) is that it goes out of its way to show Azharuddin's innocence that it leaves a bad taste. A real bad taste.

In fact it attempts to fool the viewers and glorifies Azharuddin as an innocent man. One should have expected this considering Azharuddin was involved in training Emraan Hashmi and heavily involved in helping with the storyline.

Here's how Azhar fooled the public, AGAIN!

CBI and all available public reports state that Azharuddin was investigated for fixing the following three ODIs:

1. India vs South Africa, first match of the Titan Cup, 1996
2. India vs Sri Lanka, Pepsi Asia Cup, 1997
3. India vs Pakistan, Pepsi Cup, 1999

CBI also claimed that Azharuddin confessed to fixing these 3 ODIs; however Azharuddin has denied this in an interview.

The movie starts well by stating that Azharuddin is being investigated for these 3 matches.

But then, in a sour attempt to fool the public, the movie ignores these actual ODIs and uses results of different ODIs to portray Azhar's innocence.

Did Tony and Azhar actually think they would get away with shit like this!!?

India vs South Africa
In the actual match, India lost by 47 runs. Azhar scored 32 off 55 balls and was caught by Cullinan of Crookes.

The movie shows that Azhar was out LBW to a wrong decision (off the inside edge) and the crowd caused disruption because of this, with Azhar's lawyer arguing how could he have fixed the game if he was wrongly given out.

In reality, this occurred in the India vs Australia match of the Titan Cup where Azharuddin was wrongly given out LBW to Jason Gillespie and crowd disruption stopped play for 20 minutes.

Please don't miss the "Match Notes" at the end of that scorecard:


How sad and pathetic is it that the movie chooses an event that took place in an ODI between India and Australia, and makes it look like that it occurred in the India vs South Africa match that was allegedly fixed by Azhar.

I am disgusted!

India vs Sri Lanka
In the Pepsi Asia Cup in 1997, India played Sri Lanka twice: a group game that Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets and then the Final that Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets. In both games, Azhar scored 80 odd runs with the rest of India's batting failing. Another key fact of this tournament is that India's captain was Sachin Tendulkar and not Azharuddin.

The movie, however, ignores these matches and the Pepsi Asia Cup altogether and instead shows an India vs Sri Lanka ODI played in London in 1998. This fictional match was a Final of a Jubilee Cup, Azhar was captain, and Azhar single handedly won India a match they looked like losing while chasing a target of 280 odd as the bookie and the underworld Don looked on in disbelief from the stands.

HA!

Firstly, neither India nor Sri Lanka toured England in 1998. Secondly, the Jubilee Cup that was played in 1998 involved India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh; there was no Sri Lanka.

Thirdly, the match showed in the movie picks up events that took place in an India vs Sri Lanka ODI played in the Champions Trophy in Sharjah in 1998, where Sachin and Ganguly got out early and Azharuddin's 94 helped successfully chase a target of 245.

Again the movie showcases events from another ODI and attempts to mislead the public into believing that they are from the allegedly fixed ODI.

Come on, seriously!?

If it wasn't enough that Azhar screwed India in the 90s that he has come out to do it once again!

Did they think cricket fans will not be able to tell the difference between the matches?

What Bullshit.

Oh and that India vs Pakistan match was completely ignored by the way.

Can't even say that Tony Dsouza took liberties as a director and re-created ODIs considering that the events were blatantly copied from other ODIs. To top it all the ODI vs West Indies that Manoj Prabhakar allegedly fixed was shown in the movie exactly how it played out in reality!

So while one ODI is replicated to show that Prabhakar was a fixer, other matches were recreated with events from other different ODIs to show that Azharuddin was innocent.

WHAT UTTER BULLSHIT !

Seems like Azharuddin ne chay banane ka thaika liya hua hai. Pehle cricket se, ab Bollywood se.

Salim Malik.

The man was an artist.

I think he was one of the shrewdest minds to have played the game. One of the smartest batsmen ever. A man who made batting look like an art.

Besides Sachin Tendulkar, no one mastered Shane Warne the way Salim Malik did. His 237 against Australia in Rawal Pindi in 1994 still remains as one of the finest knocks by a captain. The score is the 2nd highest score (behind Wally Hammond's 240) by a captain against Australia. Malik's average of 92 in tests that he captained against Australia is still the highest average among captains in tests against Australia.

Moreover, Malik's record as Pakistan's captain is exceptional with a test win % of 58.33, which is only bettered by Waqar Younis and Rashid Latif. While his ODI win % of 64.7 is also one of the highest among Pakistan captains bettered by only Intikhab Alam (in 3 matches) and Shoaib Malik (majority against minnows).

But all these reasons is not why I believe that Salim Malik was an artist or the shrewdest batsman to play the game.

It is because of his single handed ability to dictate terms on the pitch, direct an entire innings, and orchestrate the outcome of a match.

Salim Malik was impeccable.

Typically batting at number 4 or 5, Malik would more often than not score healthy 40s, 50s, and scores in excess of that.

He was even more efficient in chases.

While Malik was at the crease, Pakistan always remained at par with the required run rate. At time above it, but never really too far below it.

Malik would ensure that he batted for a good part of Pakistan's innings, scored at a reasonable rate, and hogged the strike while stealing singles of the last ball of every over.

It was as if he was toying with the opposition's bowlers and fielders.

Little did anyone know that he was toying with his own team.

During the course of his well grafted innings, Malik always ensured that he got at least one batsman run out. He also skilfully ensured that the batsman at the other end took over the responsibility to get quick runs, while he remained at the crease saving his wicket for the end.

Since he was captain and also the senior most members of the side, he easily demanded that.

While Malik would continue with his knock, batsmen at the other end would perish while trying to up the tempo, or would get run out due to calculated calls made by Malik.

Malik would continue to bat till most of the batsmen were back in the pavilion, and with 50 odd runs still to get, he would also throw his wicket away leaving the task of finishing the game on the tailenders.

He did this repeatedly over a period of 3-4 years in the mid 90s.

Salim Malik was the best orchestrator of a loss the game of cricket has ever seen.

He was a true artist who had perfected the art of batting and controlling an innings.

The game has never seen anyone like Salim Malik.

And now he wants to become the coach of the Pakistan national team.

I can't help but think what that would do to the extremely talented batsmen that are Pakistan's future. Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, and Nasir Jamshed surely require grooming, but do we really want them to be coached by Salim Malik?

Do we want more artists?

Do we want batsmen who master the art of losing games for Pakistan?

We definitely do not.

There is absolutely no reason why the PCB should even give a little bit of notice to the application put forward by Salim Malik.

Keep him away please!

Yes we all heard that the ICC gave the PCB an ultimatum about cleaning up their act and getting their house in order.

But what exactly has the PCB been up to since then?

A lot for sure, but why have we, the general public, been kept in the dark?

First Kamran Akmal was not selected for the series against South Africa. Initially there was news about an appendicitis operation, but then even when he was fit, and Haider ran away, the senior Akmal was not selected.

Even Akmal was unsure as to why he was not selected and he requested the ICC for information on whether he was under any suspicion regarding spot fixing. The ICC gave him a letter clearing him!

Then there was the Danish Kaneria issue. A day before the test players were to fly out to the UAE for the series against South Africa, the PCB disallowed Kaneria from joining the team.

Why!?

And then came the news that the ICC has asked the PCB to not consider Kamran Akmal, Danish Kaneria, and Shoaib Malik in the initial pool of 30 players for the ICC World Cup!

Why!?

Yes we all know that there are suspicions regarding match fixing or spot fixing, but what exactly are those suspicions? Does the ICC have have reservations or the PCB? Do any of them have any evidence? Why are there conflicting reports every where? Why aren't the PCB or the ICC coming out in the open and publicly telling us what is going on? Why is everything going on behind closed doors?

Yes, we would like to see Pakistan cricket cleaned up, but whatever is being done regarding it, I believe the general public deserve the right to know.

The latest news now is that the PCB's integrity committee has grilled Akmal, Malik, and Kaneria and has asked them certain questions - what questions!?

We deserve answers!

Not from the players, but from the PCB and the ICC!

The last time 7-8 of the top cricketers from Pakistan were banned and fined at the same time, it was due to links with match fixing.

I was looking for some reactions to the match fixing claims surrounding the Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers match, and I found this:

"Why would someone pay us to lose a match when we are doing the same for free?"

The Fake IPL Player at his best! That was just absolutely hilarious!

Fake goes on and talks about how he and his KKR team mates are being investigated for match fixing.

Then Homer pointed me to this piece of news, in which Lalit Modi denies that any team in the IPL is being investigated for match fixing.

So then who is right?

The Fake IPL Player or Lalit Modi?

Either Lalit Modi is covering up the investigation that is going on.

OR

The Fake IPL Player has finally given us reason to doubt his credibility.

Fake has a new poll running on his site, which asks you to vote on who you think the Fake IPL Player really is.

Currently, "Journo with inside info", is leading the polls with 30% of the votes. While 18% think that Fake is none of the 10,000 choices he has given in the polls.

However, after this, i.e. getting caught talking about an investigation that was a mere media rumour than anything else, I sense the votes for "a complete fakey" could go spiralling upwards.

Vote and decide for yourself.