AAP Sports News (Australia)
08-30-2010
CRIK:Healy backs butter-gloved Akmal
By Jim Morton
BRISBANE, Aug 30 AAP - Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has no doubts Pakistan's
SCG villain Kamran Akmal was completely innocent of match-fixing despite his butter-gloved
display in January.
Vice-captain Akmal dropped four catches in Australia's second innings which allowed
the home side to make a remarkable fightback which eventually resulted in an astonishing
36-run win.
Among the controversial gloveman's misses behind the stumps were three grassed chances
off Mike Hussey who went on to score an unbeaten 134 to give the home side a lead of 175.
Pakistan crumbled in pursuit of the small target and Akmal was dropped for the third
Test in Hobart following claims in his homeland the Sydney match was fixed.
But Healy on Monday revealed the wicketkeeper had sought him out before the three-Test
series and asked for advice about his poor form.
"He was stiff as a board and extremely tense," Healy said. "You couldn't drop those
on purpose they way he was doing it.
"His technique had gone off, which he told me about two weeks before - the ball wasn't
going into his glove that well for the spinners.
"I said to him `look, we'll work on that in Hobart'. I wasn't going to the Sydney Test.
And then he did that.
"It didn't look to me as if they were on purpose at all."
Healy, who played against Pakistan in the mid-1990s when Australia scored a come-from-behind
one-day win that was later found to be rigged, preferred to look at the bright side of
the recent allegations.
"I'm pleased it's been caught or exposed, that's the best thing about it," he said.
"We'd be stupid to think this is new.
"How long has this lurk been going on? It's a long time I'm sure, but it's been caught
which is awesome.
"I don't think it's disturbing, I think it's great that it's been caught."
AAP jsm/ej
KEYWORD: CRICKET BETTING HEALY
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