Match-fixing charges an 'undiluted absurdity'

The chairman of the National Assembly’s standing committee on sports feels that Pakistan deliberately lost to Australia in the Champions Trophy, and the sports minister of Sindh has suggested there was a deal between Indian bookies and the umpires' who stood in Pakistan's semi-final. An editorial in the Dawn rebukes them for levelling charges of match-fixing in the Champions Trophy without any evidence.

Maybe the parliamentarian ignored the last 10 overs of the Australia match, which we were poised to lose by a significant margin. Pakistan bowled an immaculate line and length and, fielding with vigour, came excruciatingly close to an improbable victory. That game produced one of the most thrilling finishes in recent ODI history and gave the beleaguered limited-overs format a much-needed shot in the arm. As for the Sindh sports minister, he needs to be reminded that a team that plays badly is unlikely to win the match.

Also in the paper, SM Ibrahim Farooqi writes that blind optimism undid Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.