Snooker finds itself in a terrible fix

SNOOKER will attempt to emerge from the shadow of a match-fixing crisis currently engulfing the game with the start of the World Championship at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

In a dispiriting series of events, the governing body - the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) - suspended 10 Chinese players between October and January for a range of offences related to match-fixing.

These players included the 2021 UK Championship winner Zhao Xintong, who would have otherwise been ranked in the top 16, and the 2021 Masters champion Yan Bingtao.

Also suspended were Lu Ning, Li Hang, Zhao Jianbo, Bai Langning, Chang Bingyu, Zhang Jiankang, Chen Zifan, and Liang Wenbo.

Liang was never a particularly popular player on tour and is a convicted domestic abuser off the table - and, at the age of 36, the former UK Championship finalist is by far the most experienced of the cohort.

The much younger Chang posted a lengthy, now-deleted message on Chinese microblogging website Weibo, in which he accused Liang of making threatening telephone calls on the morning of a match ordering him to lose 4-1.

Chang duly lost by that exact scoreline to Jamie Jones at the Last 32 stage of the British Open in September.

Of course, there is the distinct possibility that some or all of the suspended players have acted under duress from a much wider mafia-led betting syndicate in the Far East.

After all, these young Chinese players are a long way from home on a tour which has not been able to return to their homeland since before the COVID-19 pandemic first erupted there three years ago.

As such, they can be considered particularly vulnerable to becoming victims of exploitation, perhaps even to extent that their lives or the lives of their family members back in China have been threatened.

Certainly, it is noticeable that top Chinese player Ding Junhui is not involved - and it is possible that his big reputation and career earnings have insulated him from the external pressures faced by his compatriots.

In the opinion of world number one, Ronnie O'Sullivan, snooker is in “the worst place it has ever been” with discontent on the tour on a range of issues beyond the match-fixing crisis, including the reduced calendar and prize money available since the pandemic.

O'Sullivan said: “We are playing for the winner gets £80,000 most weeks and the runner-up gets £35,000. It’s bang in trouble.

“Mark Allen has done well this year, Judd Trump did well a couple of years before that. A few others do alright. But for the rest, there is nothing there."

For their part, a World Snooker spokesperson provided the following response: "Post-COVID, we are committed to returning to China in 2023 and optimistic about that prospect."

However, it is unclear the extent to which the suspension of the 10 Chinese players has affected the dynamic of any negotiations with tournament organisers in China.

For the record, it is important to note that, at the time of writing, the players concerned have not been found to have broken any rules and remain suspended pending the result of an independent disciplinary tribunal.

Nevertheless, WPBSA chairman Jason Ferguson has stated explicitly that the governing body has moved away from being merely in an investigatory position to acting now in the role of prosecution, and that each player has some sort of case to answer.

Last month, there was another bombshell as tour veteran Mark King was suspended amid allegations of irregular betting patterns during his 4-0 defeat to Joe Perry in the first round of the Welsh Open in February.

King has previously spoken publicly about his attendance at Gamblers Anonymous meetings to cope with his gambling addiction - but it is always possible that he has fallen into the trap of old habits.

Onto the draw - and defending champion O'Sullivan begins the tournament as favourite, as usual.

However, the seven-time winner had to withdraw from the World Snooker Tour Classic last month with a recurring elbow injury which needed hospital treatment - and he has played just 14 matches in 2023.

Indeed, it may be that O'Sullivan will have to wait another year for a record eighth world title - that is, if it comes at all.

Trump is another player scratching around for form - the Masters champion has featured in only one final in ranking events this season, losing a decider in the World Grand Prix to Allen.

Notably, the 33-year-old Bristolian also received a difficult draw against 2020 semi finalist Anthony McGill.

Instead, the in-form players during the 2022-23 campaign have been Allen, who also won the UK Championship and the Northern Irish Open, and 2005 winner Shaun Murphy.

The Magician warmed up for the big event by reaching the final of the Welsh Open before winning the Players Championship and the Tour Championship, all in the last couple of months.

But victory at the Crucible has never gone to the winner of the Tour Championship since that event was introduced to the calendar in 2019.

Meanwhile, the Pistol has only ever played a single semi final at the World Championship - and that was all the way back in 2009.

Experience counts for a lot at the Crucible with multi-session matches played over a marathon period of 17 days.

Therefore, it is difficult to look past the likes of four-time winners John Higgins and Mark Selby, both of whom are in the same quarter, and three-time champion Mark Williams.

Higgins's last world title was back in 2011 - but the Scot was runner-up three years in a row between 2017 and 2019, and he was in bullish mood ahead of this year's competition.

"People might think I'm a little bit deluded but I do think I've got one big one left in me," Higgins said.

At the other end of the scale, this year's World Championship features five debutants: Welshman Jak Jones, who faces Ali Carter, as well as a quartet of fresh Chinese faces - Pang Junxu, Fan Zhengyi, Wu Yize, and Si Jiahui.

Interestingly, Si already has history with his opponent Murphy after defeating the fourth seed in the first round of the 2021 UK Championship as a teenage amateur.

Following that match, Murphy stormed: "Amateur players should not be permitted to compete in professional tournaments" - even though he had entered the qualifiers of the Open golf as an amateur in 2019.

Elsewhere, among the players making their bow, Pang has drawn what promises to be a memorable encounter for him against O'Sullivan, while Fan and teenager Wu take on Allen and Australian left-hander Neil Robertson respectively.

Finally, Geordie snooker fans can feast upon a Tyneside derby between Wallsend-born 15th seed Gary Wilson and Elliot Slessor of Gateshead.

Wilson, who had a surprise run to the semi finals in 2019, had never previously been seeded for the Crucible - while Slessor will be making only his second appearance.

So this could be a cagey encounter then, especially as it will be played between two close friends - although hopefully it will prove to be a better match than that.

After all, it would be fair to say that snooker desperately needs some classic contests over the next two-and-a-bit weeks following the news of the last few months.

WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP

CRUCIBLE THEATRE, SHEFFIELD

15 April-1 May

		FIRST ROUND		Best of 19 frames
	[1]	Ronnie O'Sullivan	10-7	Pang Junxu
	[16]	Ding Junhui	6-10	Hossein Vafaei
	[9]	Luca Brecel	10-9	Ricky Walden
	[8]	Mark Williams	10-5	Jimmy Robertson
	[5]	Judd Trump	6-10	Anthony McGill
	[12]	Jack Lisowski	10-7	Noppon Saengkham
	[13]	Robert Milkins	10-9	Joe Perry
	[4]	Shaun Murphy	9-10	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	10-5	Fan Zhengyi
	[14]	Stuart Bingham	10-4	David Gilbert
	[11]	Ali Carter	6-10	Jak Jones
	[6]	Neil Robertson	10-3	Wu Yize
	[7]	Kyren Wilson	10-5	Ryan Day
	[10]	John Higgins	10-3	David Grace
	[15]	Gary Wilson	10-8	Elliot Slessor
	[2]	Mark Selby	10-8	Matthew Selt
		LAST 16		Best of 25 frames
	[1]	Ronnie O'Sullivan	13-2	Hossein Vafaei
	[9]	Luca Brecel	13-11	Mark Williams	[8]
		Anthony McGill	13-8	Jack Lisowski	[12]
	[13]	Robert Milkins	7-13	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	13-4	Stuart Bingham	[14]
		Jak Jones	13-7	Neil Robertson	[6]
	[7]	Kyren Wilson	2-13	John Higgins	[10]
	[15]	Gary Wilson	7-13	Mark Selby	[2]
		QUARTER FINALS		Best of 25 frames
	[1]	Ronnie O'Sullivan	10-13	Luca Brecel	[9]
		Anthony McGill	12-13	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	13-10	Jak Jones
	[10]	John Higgins	7-13	Mark Selby	[2]
		SEMI FINALS		Best of 33 frames
	[9]	Luca Brecel	17-15	Si Jiahui
	[3]	Mark Allen	15-17	Mark Selby	[2]

England and Pakistan downplay their past

ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss has been at pains to downplay the recent history between his side and Pakistan as they meet for the first time since their stormy series in the summer of 2010.

Strauss' men won both the Tests (3-1) and the One-Dayers (3-2) in that tempestuous affair but it was the revelations by the News of the World in the fourth Test at Lord's for which the series will be forever remembered.

The story emerged after the now-defunct newspaper revealed video footage showing cricket agent Mazhar Majeed telling a journalist when no-balls would be bowled.

Majeed had arranged with then-captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammed Amir and Mohammed Asif, for the no-balls to be bowled at specific times. Match footage then showed that this happened exactly as he had described.

Subsequently, at the Southwark Crown Court in November last year, Butt and Asif were found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. Amir had admitted both charges prior to the trial.

But, while it would be unkind to suggest that Pakistan had failed to move on since then, it would be just as untrue to suggest the 2010 series finished in the best of spirit.

Accusations started flying all over the place and the then-chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt claimed England had thrown the third One Day international.

Strauss immediately refuted the allegations and even threatened legal action if Butt did not withdraw his comments - though the England skipper did admit to playing the remaining matches "through gritted teeth". 

As this gallery on the Guardian website shows, it was not the first time there had been tensions between the two sides - and so it was no surprise that the journalists have been querying how relations are now.

Thankfully, both camps seem ready to leave the tensions where they belong - in the past.

First, Strauss said: "The spot-fixing stuff is something we're desperately keen to move on from. I don't think there's any good that can come from churning it all up again."

And, in kind, his Pakistani counterpart Misbah-ul-Haq said: "I think everybody knows in both teams that we just have to forget the past. Our area of concern is to play good cricket, fair cricket, and that's what we can do."

With that issue put to bed, it is time to assess just how England might do in their first ever Test match in Pakistan's temporary 'home', the Middle East.

Yes, in 2010, a touring England side played there in two Twenty20 matches - winning one and losing the other - but it does not exactly equate to the tough five-day game.

As well as facing a journey into the unknown, England also return to the Test arena having last played competitively on 29 October. In fact, Strauss' side last played a Test match back in August.

Coming into the series, concerns have surrounded their bowling attack with Tim Bresnan ruled out due to an elbow injury and Graeme Swann picking up a leg strain.

However, it is a testament to England's depth that, in the seam department, they can call upon Steven Finn or Chris Tremlett to support Stuart Broad and James Anderson.

Meanwhile, the lesser-spotted Monty Panesar has picked up his form and may yet be considered as a second spinner in addition to Swann.

Nevertheless, the lack of practice with the bat showed in the first innings of their first three-day warm-up match against an ICC Affiliates XI.

Only Alastair Cook (76) shone as England declared on 185-8, a deficit of 96 runs. But the Affiliates then gave England the chance of the win with a sporting declaration in their second innings.

Ruthless as ever, Strauss' men took advantage as an improved batting display saw them chase down their target of 261 with three wickets remaining.

The tourists improved further in their second game with Cook (133) again hitting a big score as England gained a 60-run advantage on first innings over a Pakistan Cricket Board XI.

And the bowlers then starred in the second innings as the PCB XI collapsed to 150 all out, giving England a win by exactly 100 runs.

But, while the world number one team will enter the main event full confidence on the back of those wins, Pakistan are a team undoubtedly on the comeback trail.

Indeed, spearheaded by skipper Misbah and the exciting off-spin talent of Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistanis have won their last 10 matches - though it must be noted that these results did come against strugglers Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

After Pakistan, England also play Sri Lanka this winter in a brief jaunt with just two Tests scheduled. There, Strauss' side will face an opponent which has won just one match out of their last 17 in that form of the game.

Most recently, the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 43, their lowest-ever One Day score, on their way to losing by the massive margin of 258 runs against South Africa.

And it now seems extraordinary that, less than 12 months ago, Tillakaratne Dilshan's team were gallant runners-up in the World Cup Final.

Life after the retirement of spin king Muttiah Muralitharan has certainly proved to be difficult for them, indeed.


ENGLAND TOUR v PAKISTAN

Date		Venue
17-19 Jan	First Test: PAKISTAN 338 & 15-0 beat  ENGLAND 192 & 160 by 10 wickets	Dubai
25-28 Jan	Second Test: PAKISTAN 257 & 214 beat ENGLAND 327 & 72 by 72 runs	Abu Dhabi
3-6 Feb	Third Test: PAKISTAN 99 & 365 beat ENGLAND 141 & 252 by 71 runs	Dubai
13 Feb	First ODI: ENGLAND 260-7  beat PAKISTAN 130 (35 ovs) by 130 runs	Abu Dhabi
15 Feb	Second ODI: ENGLAND 250-4  beat PAKISTAN 230 (49 ovs) by 20 runs	Abu Dhabi
18 Feb	Third ODI: ENGLAND 226-1 (37.2) beat PAKISTAN 222 by nine wickets	Dubai
21 Feb	Fourth ODI: ENGLAND 241-6 (49.2) beat PAKISTAN 237 by four wickets	Dubai
23 Feb	First T20: PAKISTAN 144-6 beat ENGLAND 136-6 by eight runs	Dubai
25 Feb	Second T20: ENGLAND 150-7 beat PAKISTAN 112 (18.2) by 38 runs	Dubai
27 Feb	Third T20: ENGLAND 129-6 beat PAKISTAN 124-6 by five runs	Abu Dhabi

ENGLAND TOUR OF SRI LANKA

Date/time (BST)		Venue
26-30 Mar 10:00	First Test	Galle
3-7 Apr 10:00	Second Test	Colombo

Pakistan cricket scam puts ICC in the dock

ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss has launched a scathing attack on the anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council today, labelling it a "toothless tiger".

The ICC has unsurprisingly come in for criticism after three Pakistan cricketers were found guilty of conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls at pre-determined times in last year's Test match against England.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt was jailed for 30 months while Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir face one year and six months behind bars respectively.

However, the problem arises in that their crimes were uncovered in a sting operation by a British tabloid newspaper, rather than by the sporting body's anti-corruption unit.

ICC chief Sir Ronnie Flanagan has said there is little to be worried about and claimed that illegal betting is "engaged in by a tiny number of people".

But Strauss has questioned whether the ICC has enough resources to be sure that corruption is indeed "not rampant in the world of cricket", as Sir Ronnie also suggested.

"They can't do sting operations like the News of the World. They can't infiltrate these betting networks. I'm hopeful only a minor percentage of cricketers are involved in it but the truth is we really don't know," Strauss said.

Strauss is not the only person to speak out about the ICC. One of his predecessors, Sir Ian Botham, has also criticised the governing body over their handling of the case.

Sir Ian said: "I think the ICC have just sat on their hands and pretended it's not there. Well now they have got to act."

In response, Sir Ronnie has insisted that the members of anti-corruption unit is "doing the best job they possibly can".

But that is not the issue here. The issue is that the ICC simply have not put enough money or man-power into their own investigations.

And, while the unit probably is doing the best it can, the truth is that it currently falls woefully short of being an adequate regulator.

The worst part of it is that Sir Ronnie and his team seem so relaxed that their job was effectively done by News of the World journalists, rather than themselves.

The newspaper may now have deservedly bitten the dust but it goes to show that, amid the calls for vigilante justice and the illegal phone-hacking, occasionally it served its readers well.

One thing which is for sure is that the papers in Pakistan are glad of the verdict even though a minority of fans has screamed that the case was a Western conspiracy against their team.

In fairness, the majority of Pakistan supporters is pleased to be following an improving team which is working hard to cast off its negative image by actually winning some cricket matches.

But a significant match-fixing underworld still exists, and the temptation to make a fast buck remains present, especially in the sub-continent.

Surely the ICC, which is not a poor organisation by any stretch, needs to put more money and man-power into ripping apart these shady practices once and for all.

For, cricket supporters all around the world deserve far better assurances that what they are watching is a genuine reflection of the teams' abilities - and not based upon the vagaries of the bookmakers' odds.

England end tumultuous summer on top

ENGLAND claimed a highly satisfying win over Pakistan in the fifth One-Day International to complete a clean sweep of series wins this summer.

Eoin Morgan hit an unbeaten century while Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad took three wickets each as England bowled Pakistan out for 135 to win by 121 runs.

Victory at the Rose Bowl gave England a 3-2 series win to add to their 3-1 success against the Pakistanis in Test cricket and the 2-0 win in the Twenty20 series.

But the latter part of this summer has been a torturous affair of rumour and innuendo with Pakistan in the dock over spot-fixing allegations.

The story first came to light in the News of the World on the fourth and final day of the fourth and final Test which England won massively by an innings and 225 runs.

The reports surrounded three of Pakistan players - captain Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and 18-year-old Mohammed Amir - who allegedly agreed to bowl three no-balls to order on the first two days of the Test.

No-balls were indeed bowled at the supposedly pre-determined times by Amir and Asif, and the three players have been provisionally suspended and charged by the sport's governing body, the ICC.

Scotland Yard has also opened an investigation and the players were interviewed by the Metropolitan Police who believe the video evidence to be genuine.

The evidence is now with the Crown Prosecution Service who must decide whether to proceed with the case.

But the incident may not have been isolated. After the third ODI match, the ICC announced it was opening a separate investigation into a suspicious scoring pattern following a tip-off by The Sun.

The ECB confirmed no English players were involved in that investigation either.

However, the squad then became embroiled in the controvery after the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt alleged England had been paid to lose the third ODI.

Butt has presented no evidence for his claim which was strenuously denied by skipper Strauss and the rest of the squad.

Indeed, the England team has now called on Butt to make an unreserved apology or face legal proceedings.

Altogether, the ongoing saga has left a nasty taste in the mouth and made it difficult to enjoy the actual cricket being played.

Even Strauss said the England team had played the last two ODI matches "through gritted teeth".

When it is clear the players are not enjoying the contest, it is more difficult still for supporters which is a shame because, until this controversy, England had enjoyed a fruitful season.

In May, the shortest form of the game landed England their first ever senior ICC World Cup, beating Australia in the Final.

Then, back home, England beat Bangladesh as expected in the opening two Test matches of the summer at Lord's and at Old Trafford, although it was perhaps not as easy as the final score suggests.

At Lord's, Jonathan Trott scored 226 of England's 505 first innings runs while Bangladesh could only respond with 282.

Following on, the Bangladeshis did rather better, scoring 382, mainly down to Tamim Iqbal's particularly impressive 103.

Nevertheless, England knocked off the required runs by tea and Steve Finn won man of the match by taking match figures of 9-187.

The second Test against Bangladesh at Old Trafford was rather more straightforward. England again made a decent first innings total of 419, man of the match Ian Bell with 128 and Matt Prior with 93.

This time, Bangladesh collapsed horribly in successive sessions. With rain having affected the early part of the match, the tourists had an outside chance of a draw on 126-1.

But, despite Iqbal's second century of the series, Bangladesh were all out for 216 by the end of an elongated Saturday evening session.

Having just failed to make the follow-on, the Bangladeshi batsmen wearily took the crease again on Sunday morning.

They were bowled out for 123 in 34.1 overs and England had won a match by lunch on the third day when it had looked evenly matched at tea on the second day.

Limited overs cricket would dominate for the next part of the summer as England took on Australia, smarting from their Test series draw with Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

England took advantage of a vulnerable Aussie team to win the first three of five ODIs.

Morgan starred in the first at the Rose Bowl, scoring an unbeaten 103 as England chased down their target of 268 with four wickets and fully four overs to spare.

In the second match in Cardiff, Stuart Broad took four wickets and helped restrict Australia to 239 which England again chased successfully with four wickets and over four overs in hand.

England's third victory at Old Trafford was much tigher. The hosts won the toss and man of the match Swann took 4-37 as Australia scored 212.

Andrew Strauss scored 87 as England scrambled over the line to win by one wicket with five balls left thanks to Tim Bresnan's unbeaten 14 runs.

Despite the third loss confirming a series defeat for the Aussies, the tightness of the match seemed to have swayed in the momentum in their favour.

Indeed, Ricky Ponting's men somewhat saved face with easy victories in the last two matches, by 78 runs and 42 runs at the Oval and Lord's respectively.

England also seemed to lose focus in a second set of ODIs, this time against Bangladesh.

Having won the first match easily enough, England collapsed to 231 in the second ODI in Bristol, five runs short of Bangladesh's total, despite Trott's best attempts as last man out on 94.

It was the first time the Tigers had beaten England in any form of the game and set up an unlikely decider at Trent Bridge two days later.

England responded well to that unexpected setback by thrashing Bangladesh in the third ODI.

Strauss and Trott scored centuries to set a huge total of 347-7, far too much for the tourists who were out for 203 in 45 overs.

Next up was Pakistan but they proved just as fragile as Bangladesh in losing the first two Tests of the series by being bowled out for their lowest score against England twice in successive matches.

Before this summer, that record low stood at 87 but Pakistan were bowled out for 80 in the first Test and 72 in the second Test to rewrite the record books twice.

In the first Test, Morgan and Prior scored a centuries in each innings as England won by 354 runs.

And in the second Test, Strauss and Trott both hit unbeaten half-centuries as England chased down a target of 118 runs with nine wickets to spare.

Remarkably, the third Test was then won by Pakistan as England struggled this time with the bat.

Out-of-form Alastair Cook hit a welcome second innings century but had little help from his team mates as the hosts were bowled out for 222 to set Pakistan 148 to win.

The tourists looked like strolling to their target on 103-2 but lost four wickets for 29 runs in a middle-order wobble before Umar Akmal and Amir kept the series alive.

But, having produced some fighting spirit, Pakistan reverted to type in a fourth Test which will now be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

It should have been remembered for the record eighth-wicket stand in Test history between Trott and man of the match Stuart Broad whose partnership was worth an outstanding 332 runs.

Pakistan had put England in some trouble having won the toss and England were staring down the barrel at 102-7.

But Trott's 184 and Broad's 169 took the match completely away from Pakistan who then compounded their failure to capitalise by being bowled out for 74.

Following on, there was only a little more resistance in the second innings as Pakistan were bowled out for 174 amid a mournful atmosphere at Lord's after the morning's spot-fixing allegations.

It was no surprise that the dispirited tourists were then turned over four times in quick succession by England - twice in the Twenty20s and then in the first two ODIs.

Then, Pakistan showed some fight for only the second time all summer to win back-to-back ODIs and set up today's decider.

Morgan's century and Swann's bowling kept England's excellent recent record going and the squad should travel to Australia to defend the Ashes in good spirits.

As for Pakistan - they will have to face whatever repercussions come their way if the allegations are proven.

Having done their best to spoil the summer, I do not think I will be alone in being glad to see the back of Pakistan, for now at least.

ENGLAND'S SUMMER RESULTS SUMMARY
Npower Test match series vs Bangladesh
England won series 2-0
First Test (Lord's) England 505 & 160-2 bt Bangladesh 282 & 382 by 8 wickets
Second Test (Old Trafford) England 419 bt Bangladesh 216 & 123 by an innings and 80 runs
Natwest ODI series vs Australia
England won series 3-2
22.06 Rose Bowl England 268-6 bt Australia 267-7 by four wickets (24 balls left)
24.06 Sophia Gardens England 243-6 bt Australia 239-7 by four wickets (28 balls)
27.06 Old Trafford England 214-9 bt Australia 212 by one wicket (five balls left)
30.06 The Oval Australia 290-5 bt England 212 by 78 runs
03.07 Lord's Australia 277-7 bt England 235 by 42 runs
Natwest ODI series vs Bangladesh
England won series 2-1
08.07 Trent Bridge England 251-4 bt Bangladesh 250-9 by six wickets (29 balls left)
10.07 Bristol Bangladesh 236-7 bt England 231 bt five runs
12.07 Edgbaston England 347-7 bt Bangladesh 203 by 144 runs

Npower Test match series vs Pakistan
England won series 3-1
First Test (Trent Bridge) England 354 & 262-9dec bt Pakistan 182 & 80 by 354 runs
Second Test (Edgbaston) England 251 & 118-1 bt Pakistan 72 & 296 by nine wickets
Third Test (The Oval) Pakistan 308 & 148-6 bt England 233 & 222 by four wickets
Fourth Test (Lord's) England 446 bt Pakistan 74 & 147 by an innings and 225 runs
Natwest Twenty20 series vs Pakistan
England won series 2-0
05.09 Sophia Gardens England 129-5 bt Pakistan 126-4 by five wickets (17 balls left)
07.09 Sophia Gardens England 90-4 bt Pakistan 89 by six wickets (36 balls left)
Natwest ODI series vs Pakistan
England/Pakistan won series 3-2
10.09 Chester-le-Street England 274-6 bt Pakistan 250-9 by 24 runs
12.09 Headingley England 295-6 bt Pakistan 294-8 by four wickets (three balls left)
17.09 The Oval Pakistan 241 bt England 218 by 23 runs
20.09 Lord's Pakistan 265-7 bt England 227 by 38 runs
22.09 Rose Bowl England 256-6 bt Pakistan 135 by 135 runs

DOMESTIC SEASON
Nottinghamshire won the County Championship for the sixth time in their history in dramatic style, pipping perennial bridesmaids Somerset in the final session of the final day of the season.

It should have been so much easier for Notts who held a handsome lead with a month of the campaign left.

But successive heavy defeats to Durham and Yorkshire, where they were bowled out for 59, threw the title race wide open and Somerset looked set to capitalise.

Notts were then frustrated in the final round of matches against Lancashire with only 28 overs played in the first three days because of persistent rain in Manchester.

In the meantime, Somerset were on top against outgoing champions Durham at Chester-le-Street, collecting maximum batting points and a first innings lead of 140.

But a failure to bowl out Durham quickly on the final day would cost Somerset who were unable to mount a serious attempt at chasing down 181 after the loss of three early wickets.

With Somerset having had to settle for a draw, the title was back in Notts' hands - but only if they could score 400 runs and then take three Lancashire wickets.

Resuming on 89-2, Notts scored quickly but lost regular wickets after the fifth-wicket partnership of 153 by Adam Voges and Samit Patel had been broken up.

When Andre Adams departed on 390-9, Notts still required 10 more runs for a vital batting bonus point.

Ryan Sidebottom and Darren Pattinson held their nerve to reach 400 and Notts had 17 overs left to take three Lancashire wickets for the title.

Notts capped an excellent performance, considering how limited their time on the field had been, by taking just 30 balls to claim the required wickets.

Sidebottom struck first to remove Karl Brown before Adams took the wickets of Mark Chilton and Shiv Chanderpaul in the same over as the rain started to fall again.

It was a cruel blow for Somerset who had been unbeaten in the Championship since April after two defeats in their first two matches.

Somerset had also lost the Friends Provident Twenty20 Final on account of having lost one more wicket than Hampshire after both teams finished their 20 overs on 173.

And, as if to prove such misfortunes come in threes, Somerset lost the Clydesdale Bank 40 over Final at Lord's to Warwickshire by three wickets.

Thus, the men from Taunton remarkably finished runners-up in all three of this season's competitions.

LV County Championship
Champions: Nottinghamshire 214pts, seven wins
Runners-up: Somerset 214pts, six wins
Relegated: Kent 151pts, Essex 126pts
Promoted: Sussex 235pts, Worcestershire 208pts
Wooden spoon: Derbyshire 138pts
Clydesdale Bank 40
Final: Warwickshire 200-7 bt Somerset 199 by three wickets
Semi Finals: Somerset 312-6 bt Essex 217 by 95 runs
Warwickshire 260-6 bt Yorkshire 257-5 by four wickets
Friends Provident Twenty20
Final: Hampshire 173-5 bt Somerset 173-6 on fewer wickets lost
Semi Finals: Hampshire 157-4 bt Essex 156-7 by six wickets
Somerset 182-5 bt Nottinghamshire 117-4 by three runs (D/L)

Higgins banned but cleared of match-fixing

A WHOLE summer of uncertainty for John Higgins ended yesterday after the three-time world champion was cleared of match-fixing by an independent tribunal.

The verdict comes as a big relief not only to Higgins but also to the new chairman of World Snooker, Barry Hearn.

However, like the characters in a Machiavellian play from the 16th century, none of protagonists emerged from this sorry saga with much credit.

Higgins has still been banned for six months - backdated to May when the story broke in the News of the World - having admitted the lesser offences of bringing the game into disrepute by not reporting the illegal approach.

The Scot was also fined £75,000 for his troubles but, after more than four months of this hanging over him, the seemingly irreversible damage to his reputation will undoubtedly hurt him more.

After all, he was only excused of having any part in match-fixing because the tribunal ruled that his manager Pat Mooney was "entirely responsible" for Higgins' presence in the Kiev hotel room where the filming took place.

Mooney is undoubtedly the nastiest piece of work in this episode, and he fully deserved his sanction of a life ban from having any influence in the game.

But Higgins was still on film admitting how easy it would be to throw a frame.

He almost certainly benefited from his previous reputation which has resulted in a lenient approach being adopted towards him.

The tribunal ruled that Higgins "is, by nature, someone who seeks to avoid confrontation or unpleasantness" and there remains an uncomfortable feeling that Mooney may have been a fall guy.

Snooker has just been introduced to a bright new era under Hearn's chairmanship with the introduction of new tournaments and an improved ranking system. The game could ill-afford the scandal to grow any bigger than it already is.

But, regardless of the conspiracy theories, it would seem Hearn's job of reforming the sport is even bigger than he originally thought.

Hearn hardly helped himself by promising the matter would be sorted in "days and weeks" rather than "months and months".

It was surely inevitable that this sort of case would take time and the fact it has dragged on all summer and even into the start of the new season shows a lack of judgement on Hearn's part.

The affair has also been bad news for the Murdoch media empire and the curious way in which they have handled it.

Of course, the News of the World was justified from a public interest angle in publishing the story in the first place if it considered it would stand up to scrutiny.

Indeed, the newspaper reacted to Higgins' ban by claiming victory and stating that the judgement was "a testament to the extraordinary work of our investigations editor Mazher Mahmood".

But the reality is that the publication has earned the wrath of media commentator Roy Greenslade in the Guardian and it has left itself wide open to libel.

Similarly, the News of the World's broadcasting stablemates Sky hardly covered themselves in glory over the issue either, claiming on their website that Higgins had admitted to match-fixing.

Once the story had been vigorously denied by Higgins' spokesperson, it was unsurprisingly hastily pulled.

If nothing else, questions should be asked over why the News of the World stalled on providing the full video evidence to tribunal - and just how much editing had been done?

But, with the allegations of phone hacking by News of the World staff dominating the news agenda, those questions are low on the priority list and look set to remain unanswered.

Unless, of course, Higgins takes the unlikely step of dragging the story back in front of the courts by suing for defamation.