THE INSIDE STORY BY MAZHER MAHMOOD: Why fixer Majeed borrowed a jacket
GREEDY Majeed was so keen to impress me, thinking I was a fellow crooked businessman, he invited me to meet his Pakistani stars at an Arab restaurant.
We arrived at 9.15pm and were introduced to players including Salman Butt and Wahab Riaz. I arranged for our silver Mercedes to pull up outside. Majeed had demanded 10,000 to show we were serious about buying match- fixing information and it needed to be handed over somewhere discreet.
Before we left the restaurant, Majeed realised he wouldn't be able to stuff all the money into his trouser pockets, so he borrowed a jacket from Wahab Riaz.
After I handed him the money he gave me precise details of no-balls that would be bowled at the Oval Test. These didn't take place but Majeed was not going to let his new client go. He said he would get captain Salman Butt to bat a maiden over, and invited me to his luxurious Croydon home to seal the deal. Butt would tap the middle of the pitch as a signal.
After leaving the house, my team watched the match but saw no signal from Butt. I called Majeed and asked why, once again, nothing had happened. He said Butt thought the bowling would make it difficult - but it became clear the real reason was that the players doubted we would come up with enough money.
In further calls over the weekend it was clear that far more cash was expected if we were to buy an entry ticket into the already crooked betting ring. Eventually, the amount was clear. 150,000 in total would have to be paid.
READ: How our cricket match-fixing investigation started
SECRET: Majeed and our man meet in the car
THIRD MEETING, Al Shishawi Restaurant, London, August 19
Majeed, now entirely satisfied our undercover team are match-fixing clients who can be trusted, decides it's time to let them meet his players.
At dinner at the restaurant in the Edgware Road, our main man is introduced to Pakistan captain Salman Butt, young bowler Wahab Riaz and opening batsman Imran Farhat.
After our man shakes hands with Butt, he and Majeed leave the restaurant briefly for another secret meeting in a parked car.
Here, Majeed - who has borrowed a cream coloured jacket from Wahab Riaz - outlines exactly how the no- balls he has planned for Friday's play in the Oval Test will unfold. And money will change hands for the first time.
Majeed: All right, just to show you that it's real OK, I'm going to show you two no-balls tomorrow. Then you just pay, as I said, minimum for that, OK.
Reporter: What's that going to cost?
Majeed: Just 10,000.
Reporter: OK, fine, OK.
Then Majeed's greed kicked in.
Majeed: But for each no-ball.
Reporter: You said, come on, you said 10,000 for two yesterday - that's what you said to me.
Majeed: No I meant 10,000 for each, that's what's we do.
Reporter: OK. Well I've got 10,000 now, I'll give you 10,000 tomorrow then.
Majeed: OK, no problem bruv. I'll give you two no-balls tomorrow so then you know this.
Our man produces a leather briefcase, takes out the bundles of notes and hands it to Majeed. He puts it in the inside pocket of the borrowed jacket.
Majeed: I'm just going to give you, quite simple. And I'll tell you which bowler's going to do it, and which ball he's going to do it in.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: Which over and which ball.
HANDOVER: Our man gives Majeed 10,000 to guarantee no-balls in Oval Test. He hides cash in jacket
Reporter: Right.
Majeed: So I'll let you know that tonight or tomorrow morning.
Reporter: You send me a text or what?
Majeed: I'll call you. But have you got a secure line?
Reporter: Yeah, this text, this number is fine, you just text me on there.
Majeed: OK, so I'll call you from another number, yeah. And I'll call you about 8.30 in the morning, is that ok?
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: And I'll give you the two balls that they're going to do it on.
As he had done at the previous Bombay Brasserie meet, Majeed outlines how it is the players, and not him, who are in control of much of what he did in terms of dealing with new 'clients'.
He says: "The players, they will only let me do it with a new source, because I am open with them completely, yeah, if you put money where your mouth is. You have to put a certain amount up front, yeah, to show.
"I've been doing this constantly and for the next month you're going to see how constant it is." He also spells out how we will have to pay.
Majeed: It has to be all cash, no transfers. The first payment is like a deposit. That's to show that, because anyone can say oh, I'll pay you this, this and this, yeah. These players don't know, they don't know who you are...
Reporter: Yeah, sure.
Majeed: So I'm going to say to them I've got a new party. I think he's good, yeah, we'll deal with him. OK? That doesn't mean anything to them, when I say to them, here take this, this is from the new party, they will... (At this point he holds up the bundle of cash).
The fixer tells our man that future payments for fixes "has to be made within 24 hours either in England or Dubai. These are the two places. In cash."
In the next section of our tapes, Majeed then goes on to tell us why he needs 150,000 from us - for our "trust" - and exactly what will happen to it. He also implicates captain Salman Butt as a cheat for the first time.
Majeed: Now then, the day after, if obviously it will go to plan tomorrow, then you meet me tomorrow night. I'll give you a bracket for the following day.
Reporter: OK, fine.
Majeed: If you want to do that, yeah?
Reporter: Let's do that.
Majeed: But in terms of deposit, its gonna be a minimum of 150,000.
Reporter: For the bracket?
Majeed: No, no, that's just for your trust. That's for me to pay my six boys, yeah, right, a certain amount each, OK, and to say that we're working with a new party.
After that I can give you everything we do, and every day we do, and every result we do and every bracket we do. And then I don't want any money up front, I just want the money paid after the things are done.
Reporter: So explain to me again, so tomorrow, let's see if this goes down (the two promised no-balls). If this goes down exactly as you say. I've got full faith in you - you've been doing it a long time.
Majeed: If this goes down... yeah. We've arranged long-term, believe me. These two no-balls, that's finished right, that's done. You are secure and happy.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: What I'm saying is a deposit of 150,000 in cash needs to be paid.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: I pay that to the players.
Reporter: Right.
Majeed: Then they give me the authority to work with you.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: Once the authority is there to work with you, I'll give you everything we do after that. And there will be brackets. There will be at least four, five brackets but there's no result. Because we're trying to win this game and we're trying to win the Lord's game. Because we want Salman Butt as captain.
Reporter: Sure, it makes sense. It's useful to have him there, isn't it? Very useful to have him there.
Majeed: He's my best friend.
Reporter: Is he on side as well, is he playing with you, is he in the fixing?
Majeed: Of course, of course.
Reporter: Fantastic. If Salman's at it, then it's OK.
Majeed: Mate, I'm telling you now, yeah, I'm telling you now... I have got the main players, and then the main brackets as well, in the main places. I've got the bowlers, the batsmen and the all-rounders and I've got two, two, two. And that's all you need."
Reporter: With that many players you can do a result easy.
Majeed: Results, every single result we've done has come off, every single one. Brackets, yeah, there is a slight risk factor. Obviously because cricket is cricket, yeah, but you will see that they're trying.
Maybe there's an edge or something when they're trying to block, yeah, it comes off and it goes for four. Or the bowler bowls four wides...
Back inside the restaurant, our man got chatting to well-educated captain Salman Butt, who heaped praise on his teammate Wahab Riaz and the rest of his squad.
Butt: He (Riaz) and I have been mates since we were schoolboys.
Reporter: Oh, really? Right.
Butt: We played for the same club, same team, same city, same department.
Reporter: Fantastic. He did very very well. I'd never heard of him.
Majeed shows players inside of jacket
Majeed: You know he gives you everything.
Butt: As a captain you only need guys who you know will give everything, no matter if they are lesser players than a few great players, but a person who can give everything is the key guy.
Before our man left he posed for pictures with Majeed and the Pakistan players. After the meeting, Majeed showed off the inside of the cream jacket - where he had earlier stuffed the 10,000 we gave him - to the group of players outside the restaurant. Riaz was later spotted wearing the jacket.
PHONE CALLS, Majeed to our man, August 20
By Friday morning, Pakistan have moved into a strong position in the Third Test at the Oval. First call from Majeed at about 9.45am informs us the no-balls are OFF because the Pakistan bowling coach has read the riot act to bowlers over the amount of extras being given away.
Majeed: They don't want to do any no-balls today. No-balls, sorry.
Reporter: It'll happen tomorrow?
Majeed: Yeah but also if you meet me tonight yeah I'll even get you better proof (that he can deliver a fix).
There is no meeting - but in a further call Majeed reverts to a Plan B - for Salman Butt to deliberately not score any runs in the first over he faced in the next day's play - making it a maiden over.
Majeed: When Butt comes out to bat Yeah? The first over he faces?
Reporter: Yeah?
Majeed: Right, he'll play a maiden over.
To prove the set-up, the fixer then made a call to a man who he said was Butt on another mobile - set to speakerphone so our man could hear. He asked him if he could also bat a third over as a maiden over.
Majeed said to our man: "Did you hear what he said or not? He said speak to you in the morning. He goes the third over, but we don't know what the situation's gonna be, yeah. With how much the ball's spinning."
Determined to show he meant business, Majeed invited our team to a meeting at his 1.8 million house in Croydon, Surrey, the next day.
FIXER'S MANSION, Croydon, Surrey, August 21
Our man rolls up for the morning meeting at Majeed's impressive house behind electric gates in its own grounds.
Meanwhile England are on the ropes against Pakistan at the Oval, with one wicket remaining and Pakistan set to chase a low total to win the Third Test.
Reporter: OK. So what will Salman do?... The first full over that he faces?
Majeed: Maiden.
Majeed then outlines which SEVEN players he has in his fixing circle - naming Asif, Amir, Butt, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and three others. He says Butt is "a million per cent trustworthy".
Majeed takes a call from a number known to belong to Salman Butt.
CONFIDENT: Majeed after the meeting
Majeed: Just the first full over you play, you just make sure you play a maiden, OK?
Man on Butt's phone: Theek Hai (OK).
Majeed: Right, and just do one thing though. Don't forget. After the second ball, just go and tap the middle of the pitch as a signal. Theek hai?
Man on Butt's phone: Theek Hai.
Majeed: OK, don't forget that, after the second ball, the signal. Boss good luck. I'll speak to you soon.
Majeed then tried but failed to phone Kamran as he told us: "We never really speak in the morning like I say." When our man asks if the message to Butt regarding the maiden was clear, Majeed tells us: "He's a very intelligent man."
In an incredible statement, he then added: "There's three boys who are very, very clever at this."
He then named Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif as being two of those "clever" players.
Like the no-balls, Butt's maiden over did not happen. And the reasons were spelled out in another phone call on August 21 at 11.35am between Majeed and our man.
Majeed: He didn't give a signal. That's why he didn't do it.
Reporter: What went wrong?
Majeed: He obviously felt the ball was doing too much off the pitch and he couldn't do a maiden.
By now Majeed was desperate to prove to our man that he could carry out a fix. But the stakes were to rise dramatically for the next Test at Lord's.
courtesy: News of the World
GREEDY Majeed was so keen to impress me, thinking I was a fellow crooked businessman, he invited me to meet his Pakistani stars at an Arab restaurant.
We arrived at 9.15pm and were introduced to players including Salman Butt and Wahab Riaz. I arranged for our silver Mercedes to pull up outside. Majeed had demanded 10,000 to show we were serious about buying match- fixing information and it needed to be handed over somewhere discreet.
Before we left the restaurant, Majeed realised he wouldn't be able to stuff all the money into his trouser pockets, so he borrowed a jacket from Wahab Riaz.
After I handed him the money he gave me precise details of no-balls that would be bowled at the Oval Test. These didn't take place but Majeed was not going to let his new client go. He said he would get captain Salman Butt to bat a maiden over, and invited me to his luxurious Croydon home to seal the deal. Butt would tap the middle of the pitch as a signal.
After leaving the house, my team watched the match but saw no signal from Butt. I called Majeed and asked why, once again, nothing had happened. He said Butt thought the bowling would make it difficult - but it became clear the real reason was that the players doubted we would come up with enough money.
In further calls over the weekend it was clear that far more cash was expected if we were to buy an entry ticket into the already crooked betting ring. Eventually, the amount was clear. 150,000 in total would have to be paid.
READ: How our cricket match-fixing investigation started
THIRD MEETING, Al Shishawi Restaurant, London, August 19
Majeed, now entirely satisfied our undercover team are match-fixing clients who can be trusted, decides it's time to let them meet his players.
At dinner at the restaurant in the Edgware Road, our main man is introduced to Pakistan captain Salman Butt, young bowler Wahab Riaz and opening batsman Imran Farhat.
After our man shakes hands with Butt, he and Majeed leave the restaurant briefly for another secret meeting in a parked car.
Here, Majeed - who has borrowed a cream coloured jacket from Wahab Riaz - outlines exactly how the no- balls he has planned for Friday's play in the Oval Test will unfold. And money will change hands for the first time.
Majeed: All right, just to show you that it's real OK, I'm going to show you two no-balls tomorrow. Then you just pay, as I said, minimum for that, OK.
Reporter: What's that going to cost?
Majeed: Just 10,000.
Reporter: OK, fine, OK.
Then Majeed's greed kicked in.
Majeed: But for each no-ball.
Reporter: You said, come on, you said 10,000 for two yesterday - that's what you said to me.
Majeed: No I meant 10,000 for each, that's what's we do.
Reporter: OK. Well I've got 10,000 now, I'll give you 10,000 tomorrow then.
Majeed: OK, no problem bruv. I'll give you two no-balls tomorrow so then you know this.
Our man produces a leather briefcase, takes out the bundles of notes and hands it to Majeed. He puts it in the inside pocket of the borrowed jacket.
Majeed: I'm just going to give you, quite simple. And I'll tell you which bowler's going to do it, and which ball he's going to do it in.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: Which over and which ball.
Reporter: Right.
Majeed: So I'll let you know that tonight or tomorrow morning.
Reporter: You send me a text or what?
Majeed: I'll call you. But have you got a secure line?
Reporter: Yeah, this text, this number is fine, you just text me on there.
Majeed: OK, so I'll call you from another number, yeah. And I'll call you about 8.30 in the morning, is that ok?
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: And I'll give you the two balls that they're going to do it on.
As he had done at the previous Bombay Brasserie meet, Majeed outlines how it is the players, and not him, who are in control of much of what he did in terms of dealing with new 'clients'.
He says: "The players, they will only let me do it with a new source, because I am open with them completely, yeah, if you put money where your mouth is. You have to put a certain amount up front, yeah, to show.
"I've been doing this constantly and for the next month you're going to see how constant it is." He also spells out how we will have to pay.
Majeed: It has to be all cash, no transfers. The first payment is like a deposit. That's to show that, because anyone can say oh, I'll pay you this, this and this, yeah. These players don't know, they don't know who you are...
Reporter: Yeah, sure.
Majeed: So I'm going to say to them I've got a new party. I think he's good, yeah, we'll deal with him. OK? That doesn't mean anything to them, when I say to them, here take this, this is from the new party, they will... (At this point he holds up the bundle of cash).
The fixer tells our man that future payments for fixes "has to be made within 24 hours either in England or Dubai. These are the two places. In cash."
In the next section of our tapes, Majeed then goes on to tell us why he needs 150,000 from us - for our "trust" - and exactly what will happen to it. He also implicates captain Salman Butt as a cheat for the first time.
Majeed: Now then, the day after, if obviously it will go to plan tomorrow, then you meet me tomorrow night. I'll give you a bracket for the following day.
Reporter: OK, fine.
Majeed: If you want to do that, yeah?
Reporter: Let's do that.
Majeed: But in terms of deposit, its gonna be a minimum of 150,000.
Reporter: For the bracket?
Majeed: No, no, that's just for your trust. That's for me to pay my six boys, yeah, right, a certain amount each, OK, and to say that we're working with a new party.
After that I can give you everything we do, and every day we do, and every result we do and every bracket we do. And then I don't want any money up front, I just want the money paid after the things are done.
Reporter: So explain to me again, so tomorrow, let's see if this goes down (the two promised no-balls). If this goes down exactly as you say. I've got full faith in you - you've been doing it a long time.
Majeed: If this goes down... yeah. We've arranged long-term, believe me. These two no-balls, that's finished right, that's done. You are secure and happy.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: What I'm saying is a deposit of 150,000 in cash needs to be paid.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: I pay that to the players.
Reporter: Right.
Majeed: Then they give me the authority to work with you.
Reporter: OK.
Majeed: Once the authority is there to work with you, I'll give you everything we do after that. And there will be brackets. There will be at least four, five brackets but there's no result. Because we're trying to win this game and we're trying to win the Lord's game. Because we want Salman Butt as captain.
Reporter: Sure, it makes sense. It's useful to have him there, isn't it? Very useful to have him there.
Majeed: He's my best friend.
Reporter: Is he on side as well, is he playing with you, is he in the fixing?
Majeed: Of course, of course.
Reporter: Fantastic. If Salman's at it, then it's OK.
Majeed: Mate, I'm telling you now, yeah, I'm telling you now... I have got the main players, and then the main brackets as well, in the main places. I've got the bowlers, the batsmen and the all-rounders and I've got two, two, two. And that's all you need."
Reporter: With that many players you can do a result easy.
Majeed: Results, every single result we've done has come off, every single one. Brackets, yeah, there is a slight risk factor. Obviously because cricket is cricket, yeah, but you will see that they're trying.
Maybe there's an edge or something when they're trying to block, yeah, it comes off and it goes for four. Or the bowler bowls four wides...
Back inside the restaurant, our man got chatting to well-educated captain Salman Butt, who heaped praise on his teammate Wahab Riaz and the rest of his squad.
Butt: He (Riaz) and I have been mates since we were schoolboys.
Reporter: Oh, really? Right.
Butt: We played for the same club, same team, same city, same department.
Reporter: Fantastic. He did very very well. I'd never heard of him.
Majeed: You know he gives you everything.
Butt: As a captain you only need guys who you know will give everything, no matter if they are lesser players than a few great players, but a person who can give everything is the key guy.
Before our man left he posed for pictures with Majeed and the Pakistan players. After the meeting, Majeed showed off the inside of the cream jacket - where he had earlier stuffed the 10,000 we gave him - to the group of players outside the restaurant. Riaz was later spotted wearing the jacket.
PHONE CALLS, Majeed to our man, August 20
By Friday morning, Pakistan have moved into a strong position in the Third Test at the Oval. First call from Majeed at about 9.45am informs us the no-balls are OFF because the Pakistan bowling coach has read the riot act to bowlers over the amount of extras being given away.
Majeed: They don't want to do any no-balls today. No-balls, sorry.
Reporter: It'll happen tomorrow?
Majeed: Yeah but also if you meet me tonight yeah I'll even get you better proof (that he can deliver a fix).
There is no meeting - but in a further call Majeed reverts to a Plan B - for Salman Butt to deliberately not score any runs in the first over he faced in the next day's play - making it a maiden over.
Majeed: When Butt comes out to bat Yeah? The first over he faces?
Reporter: Yeah?
Majeed: Right, he'll play a maiden over.
To prove the set-up, the fixer then made a call to a man who he said was Butt on another mobile - set to speakerphone so our man could hear. He asked him if he could also bat a third over as a maiden over.
Majeed said to our man: "Did you hear what he said or not? He said speak to you in the morning. He goes the third over, but we don't know what the situation's gonna be, yeah. With how much the ball's spinning."
Determined to show he meant business, Majeed invited our team to a meeting at his 1.8 million house in Croydon, Surrey, the next day.
FIXER'S MANSION, Croydon, Surrey, August 21
Our man rolls up for the morning meeting at Majeed's impressive house behind electric gates in its own grounds.
Meanwhile England are on the ropes against Pakistan at the Oval, with one wicket remaining and Pakistan set to chase a low total to win the Third Test.
Reporter: OK. So what will Salman do?... The first full over that he faces?
Majeed: Maiden.
Majeed then outlines which SEVEN players he has in his fixing circle - naming Asif, Amir, Butt, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and three others. He says Butt is "a million per cent trustworthy".
Majeed takes a call from a number known to belong to Salman Butt.
Majeed: Just the first full over you play, you just make sure you play a maiden, OK?
Man on Butt's phone: Theek Hai (OK).
Majeed: Right, and just do one thing though. Don't forget. After the second ball, just go and tap the middle of the pitch as a signal. Theek hai?
Man on Butt's phone: Theek Hai.
Majeed: OK, don't forget that, after the second ball, the signal. Boss good luck. I'll speak to you soon.
Majeed then tried but failed to phone Kamran as he told us: "We never really speak in the morning like I say." When our man asks if the message to Butt regarding the maiden was clear, Majeed tells us: "He's a very intelligent man."
In an incredible statement, he then added: "There's three boys who are very, very clever at this."
He then named Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif as being two of those "clever" players.
Like the no-balls, Butt's maiden over did not happen. And the reasons were spelled out in another phone call on August 21 at 11.35am between Majeed and our man.
Majeed: He didn't give a signal. That's why he didn't do it.
Reporter: What went wrong?
Majeed: He obviously felt the ball was doing too much off the pitch and he couldn't do a maiden.
By now Majeed was desperate to prove to our man that he could carry out a fix. But the stakes were to rise dramatically for the next Test at Lord's.
courtesy: News of the World
