Phones confiscated, players sent home: Match-fixing cloud hangs over Pakistan's England tour

Spot-fixing echoes

Pakistan's England tour turmoil has descended into crisis, with phones confiscated and players sent home as a match-fixing cloud hangs over the squad. The chaos revives painful memories of the 2010 Lord's spot-fixing scandal involving Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

The mid-series shake-up left even the captain in the dark. Babar Azam broke his silence on Pakistan cricket's upheaval with a strikingly honest admission.

“It was news to me as well,” Babar said of the shake-up.

Bombshells all round

A former Pakistan coach has now dropped a bombshell, revealing he was “disrespected and undermined” and naming the “untouchable” figure he blames for the England tour mess.

The recriminations are flying in every direction. A former Pakistan captain has launched a scathing attack on selector Aaqib Javed, saying “every decision he makes backfires” and urging him to “step away.”