August 30, 201015 yr [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Tv2cH1biA]YouTube- Pakistan Cricket Match Fixing - Amir, Butt, Akmal, Asif involved?[/ame] The revelations that a man has been arrested in connection with an alleged cricket betting scam centred on the current Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's has shocked the cricketing world. Police said a 35-year-old man was being held on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers after the News of the World claimed it gave £150,000 to a middleman who provided details about three "no-balls" which later occurred when predicted. Who are the four Pakistan players named by the News of the World over spot-fixing allegations? The quartet were interviewed by the police on Saturday night, with captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif also having their mobile phones confiscated. MOHAMMAD AMIR Still only 18, during day two of the second Test at Lord's the left-arm paceman became the youngest bowler in Test history to take 50 wickets. He went on to take his best Test figures, picking up 6-84 in England's only innings, and is currently ranked the eighth-best bowler in Test cricket. He made both his Test and one-day debuts in July 2009 and has gone on to snare 51 Test wickets at a shade over 29 runs apiece, and has a further 25 victims in one-day internationals. Born in Gujjar Khan, Punjab, he has a whippy action that enables him to swing the ball both ways at a lively pace that can touch 90mph. Of the three no-balls bowled which led to the investigation, Amir is alleged to have bowled two of them, one on Thursday and one on Friday. MOHAMMAD ASIF A controversial figure who has twice been suspended after testing positive for banned substances - although one ban was subsequently overturned - and who was also detained in Dubai for suspected possession of illegal drugs. He is a fine swing bowler who can manipulate the ball sufficiently at no more than medium pace - he says "pace is nothing" - to remove the very best at Test level. Although he could bowl quicker he is happy to hover about the 80mph mark and his guile and ability to move the ball both ways have brought him 106 Test wickets at an average of 24.36. Now 27 he made his Test debut in 2005 and is currently ranked third in the ICC bowling rankings. He is alleged to have bowled one of the three no-balls in question on Thursday, the first day of the Test at Lord's. SALMAN BUTT The 25-year-old was only appointed Pakistan's Test captain in July after Shahid Afridi stepped down from the role - after a single game in charge - following their defeat in the first game of their two-Test series against Australia earlier this year. Butt had previously been appointed vice-captain at the beginning of the tour after a number of senior players were discarded following what turned out to be a disastrous trip down under. A stylish if inconsistent left-hander, who averages 30.43 from 30 Tests, he has proved more successful in ODIs, scoring 2,725 runs at an average of 36.82, including eight centuries. He made his debut back in 2003 but was in and out of the side for several years until nailing down a regular place in 2007. Along with Amir and Asif, Butt has had his telephone taken away by police but he said: "These are just allegations and anybody can stand out and say anything about you, it doesn't make them true." KAMRAN AKMAL The wicketkeeper was interviewed by the police along with the other three on Saturday night. Kamran, older brother of batsman Umar, is renowned more for the explosive nature of his batting than the quality of his glovework. At 28 he has already played 53 Tests and 118 ODIs, adding 184 Test catches and 22 stumpings to his 2,648 runs at 30.79 in the longest form of the game. He was fined and put on probation by the Pakistan authorities after their dire tour of Australia in 2009-10 and a poor all-round display in the first Test against England led to him being dropped, only for the broken finger suffered by his replacement, Zulqarnain Haider, to see him recalled for the third Test. He made his debut back in 2002, with the biggest of his six Test centuries the unbeaten 158 he scored against Sri Lanka in 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/8953757.stm
August 30, 201015 yr Author [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XlT3nigRwU]YouTube- Match fixing by Pakistani cricketers?[/ame]
August 30, 201015 yr That just isn't cricket...................................... :dozey: Great performance by our boys, though!:smug:
August 30, 201015 yr Great performance by the South African B-team, aka England ;) Neither Swann nor Broad is South African.:smug:
August 31, 201015 yr Author England's players said they found it difficult to celebrate their victory at Lord's England 'want Pakistan bet probe players banned' The England team believes the Pakistan players named in the betting probe that has engulfed the tourists should sit out the rest of the tour. England are set to play Pakistan in two Twenty20 matches and five one-dayers. Professional Cricketers Association boss Angus Porter told the BBC the England team thought it "preferable" that those involved did not play. It has also emerged that cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was arrested on Sunday by customs officials. Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Kamran Akmal have all been questioned by police, although Akmal is no longer under investigation. Porter said: "Speaking on behalf of the England team we can say we think it would be preferable if those individuals who are named do not play in the forthcoming series." Pakistan officials are understood to agree that the three players under investigation should miss the series. The man in charge of world cricket has told the BBC the three players should play no further part until investigations are completed. International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "It is our preference that they do not play." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/8957755.stm
August 31, 201015 yr I'd like to see them try to spin their way out of this one..................................... :rolleyes:
September 1, 201015 yr I'd like to see them try to spin their way out of this one..................................... :rolleyes: we Pakistanis can get out of tough situations easily we just start pointing fingers at others and create a bigger problem :laugh3:. cricket has changed alot over the last ten years and ICC should change the rules and regulations. on a serious note this is not just a sad day for Pakistan cricket but cricket in general. i dont want mohummud amir banned:veryangry2:
September 1, 201015 yr cricket has changed alot over the last ten years and ICC should change the rules and regulations. on a serious note this is not just a sad day for Pakistan cricket but cricket in general. True.:( i dont want mohummud amir banned:veryangry2: I don't see how he can't be. The evidence is pretty much irrefutable.:dozey:
September 1, 201015 yr Mohummud Amir is just 18 and i think it's fair to say that one can easily be influenced by money and older mates at this age. so i pity him and don't want him to get banned before he can prove himself, he's an excellent cricketer.
September 2, 201015 yr By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 9:47 PM on 2nd September 2010 Videos Add to My Stories Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer have been provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council. The game's governing body have charged the Pakistan trio with 'various offences under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel relating to irregular behaviour during, and in relation to, the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's last month'. Centre of attention: Salman Butt (left) and Mohammad Aamer arrive at the Pakistan High Commission in London for crunch talks today The under-fire trio have been at the eye of a spot-fixing storm since claims in the News of The World on Sunday and today withdrew from the Twenty20 and one-day series against England which is due to begin on Sunday. But they would not now be eligible for those games anyway and will not be available to play any cricket until a decision is reached on the ICC charges. The trio may contest the provisional suspension and have the option to defend themselves at a full hearing of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Tribunal. They have two weeks from the receipt of the charge sheet to decide whether they want such a hearing. Regarding potential punishments if the players are found guilty the ICC statement read: 'Any player ultimately found to be guilty of committing an offence under the code would be subject to the sanctions described in Article 6 of the code. In this case, the alleged offences, if proved, would involve the imposition of a ban. 'There is also a possibility, at the discretion of the independent tribunal, that a fine would be imposed in addition to a ban.' ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: 'We will not tolerate corruption in cricket - simple as that. We must be decisive with such matters and if proven, these offences carry serious penalties up to a life ban. 'The ICC will do everything possible to keep such conduct out of the game and we will stop at nothing to protect the sport's integrity. While we believe the problem is not widespread, we must always be vigilant. 'It is important, however, that we do not pre-judge the guilt of these three players. That is for the independent tribunal alone to decide.' VIDEO: ECB chairman Giles Clarke... Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-1308504/Pakistan-trio-Mohammad-Asif-Mohammad-Aamer-Salman-Butt-charged-suspended-ICC.html#ixzz0yPjcsso8
September 3, 201015 yr Cricket fixer's cash trail leads to captain, but Pakistan's most senior diplomat claims players were set up By Stephen Wright and David Williams Last updated at 7:11 AM on 3rd September 2010 Comments (0) Videos Add to My Stories Three cricketers to be questioned by police today Players charges by ICC under anti-corruption codePakistani diplomat claims players were set up Cash used in the cricket betting scandal is understood to have been found in the belongings of the Pakistani team captain, the Daily Mail has learned. Scotland Yard officers are to question Salman Butt today over how marked notes were discovered in police searches of his hotel room and his locker at Lord’s cricket ground. The revelation came on the day Pakistan’s most senior diplomat in Britain said the three cricketers engulfed in the betting scandal were set up. Scroll down for video Questions to answer: Salman Butt arrives at the Pakistan High Command yesterday. The Mail has learned that cash used in the scandal was understood to have been found by detectives searching his belongings at Lord's cricket ground. Butt, the 25-year-old captain, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, 27, and Mohammad Aamer, 18, also insisted they were innocent. However, the three men have now been charged under the ICC's anti-corruption code and suspended from all matches by the International body. ICC officials went over the heads of the Pakistan Cricket Board, which had merely withdrawn the players from the tour of England. ‘We will not tolerate corruption in cricket – simple as that. We must be decisive in such matters,’ said a spokesman. More... MARTIN SAMUEL: A poor excuse for this descent into corruption Was cricket fixer's £20m fortune laundered through tiny football club? Wajid Hasan, the Pakistani high commissioner in London, said he believed the trio played no part in an alleged plot to bowl no-balls to order during their side’s fourth Test defeat at Lord’s last week. But the Daily Mail can disclose that a substantial and suspicious amount of cash was found by detectives. The money is believed to have been part of £150,000 handed over in cash by an undercover News of the World reporter to Mazhar Majeed, the alleged mastermind of the Pakistan betting racket. Suspended: Mohammad Aamer (centre) and Mohammad Asif arrive at the High Command. Last night the International Cricket Council banned all three players involved from matches while the investigation takes place The millionaire, who has been arrested and questioned by police, represents Test captain Butt. The cash is understood to have been secretly marked so that it could be later identified by police. Majeed, 35 and British born, was photographed in the newspaper sitting in front of piles of money, and it was unclear last night how much is alleged to have been found in facilities used by Butt. The recovered money is undergoing forensic tests to confirm police suspicions that it came from the News of the World sting. A source said: ‘Early indications suggest the money found in possession of Salman Butt originated from the sting. There are good reasons to believe this was the case.’ It is not known how police can identify notes from the original £150,000 handed to Majeed by the News of the World. One theory is that it may have been sprayed with a purple dye, mixed with a unique DNA marker. Alternatively, the serial numbers may have been logged. Wajid Hassan: The Pakistani high comissioner said he believed the trio played no part in the alleged plot Reports in Pakistan claimed that Butt had told investigators he had cash in his possession to fund his sister’s dowry. Breaking their silence over the allegations yesterday, all three men protested their innocence but bowed to pressure to play no part in the forthcoming one-day international matches series against England. The trio were interviewed in London yesterday by Mr Hasan and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt, who is not related to the captain. They insisted they were not guilty of bowling no-balls at predetermined times during the match. ‘The three players have said that they are extremely disturbed by what has happened in the past week, especially in regard of their alleged involvement in the crime,’ Mr Hasan said. He said that because of the ‘mental torture’ they had suffered they would not be in the right frame of mind to continue the tour. He also questioned the value of the News of the World’s tapes showing Majeed apparently correctly identifying the exact time when no-balls would be bowled. ‘We are not seeing on the video what the date is or what the time is,’ added Mr Hasan, pictured below. ‘Do you have answers to these questions? The video wasn’t timed or dated. It could have been filmed before or after the match.’ Asked if he believes the three players might have been set up, he responded: ‘Yes, I would say that.’ Pakistani authorities have also accused police of being part of a preconceived conspiracy against their team. In a defiant letter to a senior aide of President Asif Ali Zardari, PCB chairman Mr Butt gives an insight into the background to the scandal and the anger he feels. He said English cricket authorities had been ‘utterly shocked and surprised’ by the raids on the hotel rooms of the three players. Mr Butt said police had warned that these allegations were just the tip of the iceberg, and that in addition to the News of the World investigation, unlicensed overseas bookmakers of Asian descent had also made a complaint. Investigators are examining a blizzard of telephone calls to and from Majeed at the time of Pakistan’s games around the world over a two-year period. They are looking at events in more than 80 internationals played by the team. Customs officers suspect more than £20million has been laundered through non-league Croydon Athletic Football Club owned by Majeed. Majeed, his wife Sheliza Manji, 35, and an unidentified man from Wembley have been arrested over the laundering allegations and released. Last night it emerged that Scotland Yard detectives are already liaising closely with the Crown Prosecution Service over the corruption investigation. The three players at the centre of the bung allegations are expected to be interviewed under caution in the near future about the allegations. But already senior legal sources believe it is unlikely that any of the trio will face criminal charges, and will instead be dealt with through cricket’s disciplinary procedures. Scotland Yard made no comment on the suspicious cash claims. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308507/Cricket-fixers-cash-trail-leads-Salman-Butt-Pakistan-diplomat-claims-players-set-up.html#ixzz0yRnuEnXY
September 4, 201015 yr The cricket playboys: At the wheel of fixer's £130,000 Aston Martin, Pakistan's captain before cheat scandal broke By David Williams and Stephen Wright Last updated at 11:42 PM on 3rd September 2010 Comments (0) Add to My Stories Relaxing in a £130,000 sports car with the roof down, this is the Pakistan cricket captain at the centre of the betting scandal talking to its alleged mastermind. Test captain Salman Butt sits in the driver's seat of the Aston Martin DB9 belonging to Mazhar Majeed – the millionaire agent to Pakistan's cricketers – who crouches in the back as wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal sits in the passenger seat. The photo, taken outside the Pakistan team's London hotel in July, provides an indication that Butt and his agent Majeed have formed a close relationship. High life: Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal in the luxury car owned by Mazhar Majeed (back seat) Majeed talks to the players in the car before getting out to make a phone call in private. He then takes a seat on a wall outside the hotel as he speaks with Butt. Majeed and Butt face each other as they speak before teammate Akmal joins to listen to the conversation. The photos emerged as investigators revealed that Majeed ran up a four-figure bill on his mobile phone in the days leading up to Pakistan's Test series against England. Calls to suspected bookmakers and their associates in Dubai and the Far East were made from mobile phones seized by police, officials believe. Chat: Butt and Majeed outside the team hotel in July Several calls are said to have been made in the days leading up to last week's Lord's Test between Pakistan and England, which is at the centre of four separate match-fixing and money laundering inquiries. Investigators say there was intense telephone usage, running into several thousand pounds, by Majeed in the days surrounding major matches by the team over a two-year period – fuelling fears that other Tests may be implicated. They said that during August, when Pakistan played four matches against England, British-born Majeed, 35, ran up a 'substantial four-digit' bill on a mobile number that had hardly been used in the nine months since a large number of calls were made at the time of the team's controversial tour of Australia. News of the enquiries emerged as police in Pakistan carried out raids in Faisalabad where a relative of Majeed was reported to have been arrested. More than a dozen police officers in the city are said to be implicated and police spokesman Rana Mohammad Akran said computers had been seized and links with cricket gambling established to Dubai and the UK. The three players implicated in the scandal – Butt, 25, and bowlers Mohammad Asif, 27, and Mohammad Aamer, 18 – were questioned separately under caution by Scotland Yard detectives in London yesterday. They were released without charge and without condition. Their mobiles and laptop computers were taken by police in the aftermath of allegations that three no-balls were bowled at pre-determined points on the first two days of the match. Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Aamer arrives at Kilburn police station to face questioning by police. Along with Test captain Salman Butt (below), he was later released without charge or conditions mid-day.com The Daily Mail revealed yesterday that marked notes paid by undercover reporters working for the News of the World as part of the sting are believed to have been found in Butt's belongings. Large quantities of cash were also found in rooms in the hotel where the Pakistan team stayed, the Mail has learned, but it is unclear whether they were from the £150,000 allegedly paid to Majeed. In secretly recorded discussions, Majeed, who claimed to have set up Swiss bank accounts to pay fees to players, boasted how money was laundered through a football club he owned. Majeed, who was arrested and bailed by police, has also been questioned along with his wife Sheliza Manji, 35, and a 49-year-old Londoner by Customs officials investigating whether more than £20million has been 'washed' through Croydon Athletic Football Club. The cricketing authorities are braced for further revelations this weekend involving other matches. The three players engulfed in the scandal insist they are innocent but have been suspended from all matches by the International Cricket Council, the sport's governing body. Pakistan's High Commissioner in London has attacked the ICC over its actions, accusing it of 'just playing to the public gallery'. Wajid Hasan said: 'I met the cricketers for two hours, cross-questioned them, got to the bottom of it and concluded that they were innocent. The ICC had no business to take this action.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1308874/Cricket-scandal-Test-captain-Salman-Butt-pictured-wheel-fixers-130-000-Aston-Martin-cheat-scandal-broke.html#ixzz0yXWxAo1o
September 5, 201015 yr Author Butt (right), Asif (centre) and Amir are currently under investigation 'Sting cash' found on Pakistan cricketers About £4,000 in cash, which had been paid to an agent as part of a newspaper sting operation, was found after the rooms of three Pakistan players suspected of spot-fixing in last week's Lord's Test were searched, the BBC understands. The cash was recovered after the hotel rooms of captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were searched by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Unit. Although officers are understood to have found significant sums of cash in the players' hotel rooms, only £4,000 of it has been directly linked to the newspaper's investigation. It is not clear at this stage how much each of the players had. It was said to have been identified by police by matching the serial numbers on the notes in the players' possession with those handed to the players' agent Mazhar Majeed by an undercover reporter. Mr Majeed was secretly filmed by the News of the World apparently taking receipt of £150,000 from the journalist in return for promising to arrange for no balls to be bowled at specific moments in the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's. Mr Amir and Mr Asif then bowled no balls at exactly the moments in the match described in the video by Mr Majeed. Police and officers from Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue arrested Mr Majeed last Sunday on suspicion of fraud before releasing the 35-year-old from Croydon on bail. Customs investigators also arrested a 35-year-old woman - also from Croydon and widely reported to be his wife - and a 49-year-old from Wembley. The International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and security unit is also investigating the allegations and has already charged the three players under various offences contained in article two of its anti-corruption code. In a separate incident, the News of the World claims a fourth Pakistan cricketer is being investigated by cricket's governing body - although that is not thought to be connected with the Lord's Test. On Friday, the players were questioned under caution for several hours individually at Kilburn Police Station in north London before being released without charge. The Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan has repeatedly claimed he is convinced the three players are innocent. One of the possible explanations for the large amounts of money found in the players' rooms is that they are paid their £114-a-day tour allowance by the Pakistan Cricket Board in cash. Sources said some players had been on tour almost continuously for the last 18 months and so it was possible for them to accumulate large amounts of cash. They added that many of them were from humble backgrounds and did not have access to bank accounts. A spokesman for the players' lawyers Addleshaw Goddard refused to comment. Source: BBC
September 18, 201015 yr Author The ICC launches investigation into Friday's third one-dayer between England & Pakistan The International Cricket Council has launched an investigation into Friday's third one-day international between England and Pakistan at the Oval. The game's world governing body says the probe is based on information passed on by The Sun newspaper. ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat says the match, won by Pakistan by 23 runs, featured "a certain scoring pattern" that warranted further investigation. "We feel it is incumbent upon us to launch a full enquiry," Lorgat added. The investigation is the latest blight on this summer's series between the two sides, with four members of the Pakistan team - none of whom were involved in Friday's match - being investigated amid allegations of "spot-fixing". Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif have all been questioned by police over an alleged plot to purposefully bowl no-balls during last month's Test series. A fourth player, bowler Wahab Riaz, was also interviewed by the authorities earlier in the week although all deny any wrongdoing. In a statement, Lorgat added: "A source informed The Sun newspaper that a certain scoring pattern would emerge during certain stages of the match and, broadly speaking, that information appeared to be correct. "It is worth pointing out at this stage that we are not stating as fact that anything untoward has occurred. Only in the fullness of the investigation can that be established. "We thank The Sun newspaper for its information and cooperation in this regard and we will work with its staff and sources to ensure the full truth surrounding this match is ascertained. "The ICC maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption in cricket and, as a matter of course, follows up on all credible information that is received, whatever the source. "Any player or official found guilty of an offence will face the full rigour of our robust Anti-Corruption Code so that we can ensure the integrity of the sport is maintained." Butt, Amir and Asif, who have been suspended from playing and charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC), have indicated they will contest the allegations made against them. Riaz has not been suspended by the ICC. In response to the latest investigation, Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said: "The ICC has already issued it's statement and we don't think it is appropriate for us to comment at this stage." BBC Cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew said: "The ICC, with the integrity of cricket now at crisis point, has to be seen to be pro-active. "However, what it must caution itself against is investigating absolutely everything and be careful not to be drawn into things which are absolutely impossible to prove. "The ICC isn't saying anything else about what or might or might not have happened as far as this game is concerned, and it is incredibly hard to prove, but it is saying it did receive information in advance and it did turn out that it actually happened." England lead the one-day series against Pakistan 2-1 with further games to follow this week at Lord's on Monday and The Rose Bowl on Wednesday. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/pakistan/9011427.stm
September 18, 201015 yr They're all on a very sticky wicket now............................... :dozey:
February 4, 201115 yr Author Mohammad Amir (left), Salman Butt (right) and Mohammad Asif will face corruption charges Pakistan cricket trio face corruption charges Three Pakistan cricket team members and an agent will face corruption charges, the Crown Prosecution Service has said. Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were accused of "spot-fixing" offences in the fourth Test against England at Lord's last August. The players and their agent Mazhar Majeed will be charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat. They have always denied the accusations of bowling deliberate no-balls. The International Cricket Council, which conducted its own investigation, will present its findings on Saturday. The players, who are all from Pakistan, and Mr Majeed, 35, of Oaks Road, Croydon, are due to appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on 17 March. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12365517
February 4, 201115 yr It was inevitable. This almost certainly means they'll now be "out" of the game for good................ :rolleyes:
February 4, 201115 yr maybe they can take up monopoly, they have a good capital start? Or perhaps they could appear on Million Pound Drop......................... :rolleyes:
February 7, 201115 yr Author ICC bans Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Amir Butt, Asif and Amir can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) ICC bans Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Amir An International Cricket Council tribunal has found Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir guilty of corruption. Former captain Butt has received a 10-year ban, five suspended, Asif seven years - two suspended - and Amir five. The players were accused of spot-fixing in the fourth Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's last August, but have always denied any wrongdoing. All three can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). "I am very disappointed but we are hopeful we can appeal in 20 days' time," Amir's lawyer Shahid Karim told Reuters. The trio were provisionally suspended in September after the News of the World newspaper reported the deliveries were bowled at specific points in England's innings after a payment was made to businessman Mazhar Majeed. Information on when no balls would occur in an innings could be exploited by gamblers betting on specialist markets offered by some bookmakers. The ICC released a statement from Michael Beloff QC, chairman of the independent tribunal which heard the case for six days in the Qatari city of Doha in January, detailing the punishments. Beloff's statement read: "The Tribunal found that the charges that [respectively] Mr Asif agreed to bowl and did bowl a deliberate no ball in the Lord's Test, Mr Amir agreed to bowl and did bowl two deliberate no balls in the same Test, and Mr Butt was party to the bowling of those deliberate no balls, were proved. "We impose the following sanctions: On Mr Butt a sanction of 10 years ineligibility, five years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of anti-corruption education. "On Mr Asif a sanction of seven years ineligibility, two years of which are suspended on condition that he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board in a programme of anti-corruption education. "On Mr Amir sanction of five years of ineligibility. No further sanctions are imposed on any player and no orders are made as to costs." During the hearing, fast bowlers Amir and Asif gave differing explanations for Majeed's accuracy in predicting when they would overstep. Eighteen-year-old Amir, who finished with figures of 6-84 and the man of the match award in England's innings victory, said he did not know why he had cleared the popping crease with his front foot. Asif, 28, told the panel that he had made a mistake after being instructed by Butt, 26, to bowl a faster delivery. The ICC also looked into the possibility of wrongdoing in the third Test after Majeed allegedly told the News of the World that he could affect events on the field at The Oval. Majeed's predictions for that match - unlike at Lord's - failed to materialise and all charges relating to that Test, except one relating to Butt, were withdrawn. "The tribunal found that the charge that Mr Butt agreed to bat out a maiden over in the Oval Test match was dismissed," added Beloff. "The charge that Mr Butt failed to disclose to the ICC's ACSU [Anti-Corruption and Security Unit] the approach by Mr Majeed that Mr Butt should bat a maiden over in the Oval Test was proved." Butt's legal counsel, Yasin Patel, said his client maintained his innocence and disagreed with the verdict imposed on him. He added: "Mr Butt would like to express his heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all his family, friends, supporters and the cricketing fraternity who have stood by him through all of this." In a separate development, the Crown Prosecution Service announced on Friday the trio and Majeed would face criminal charges. The players have been charged with conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat but have strongly denied any wrongdoing. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/other_international/pakistan/9388422.stm
February 7, 201115 yr ^Howzat!:rolleyes: Wonder if there was any spread-betting on the length of the bans?:P
November 3, 201114 yr Author The charges related to the fourth Test between Pakistan and England at Lord's in August 2010 Salman Butt and Pakistan bowlers jailed for betting scam Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has been jailed for 30 months for his part in the conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls in last year's Test match against England. Former world number two Test bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, was jailed for one year and bowler Mohammad Amir, 19, has been sentenced to six months. Cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was jailed for two years and eight months. The court heard the no-balls were to show gamblers that play could be fixed. The judge, Mr Justice Cooke, said cricket matches would forever be tainted by the scandal. In his sentencing remarks, which have been published online, he told the defendants: "'It's not cricket' was an adage. It is the insidious effect of your actions on professional cricket and the followers of it that make the offences so serious. "The image and integrity of what was once a game but is now a business is damaged in the eyes of all, including the many youngsters who regarded you as as heroes and would have given their eye teeth to play at the levels and with the skills that you had." BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew tweeted: "Let's hope this is the necessary deterrent to restore the integrity of cricket. Tempted? Think again. Caught=prison." In February all three players were banned for five years by the International Cricket Council. All three are appealing against their suspensions. The three players have all been ordered to pay compensation towards prosecution costs. Butt, 27, was ordered to pay £30,937, Amir £9,389 and Asif £8,120. The men were arrested after the fourth Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010. An undercover News of the World (NOTW) reporter paid Majeed £150,000 for details of the precise timing of three no-balls, which the players were persuaded to bowl, which were extremely valuable on the spot-fixing betting market. Majeed claimed to have paid Asif £65,000, Butt £10,000 and Amir £2,500. The judge told all the players they would be released on licence half way through their sentences if they behaved. The trial heard that the cheating would never have been exposed without the investigative journalism of the NOTW. The judge said: "Whenever people look back on a surprising event in a game or a surprising result, or whenever in the future there are surprising events or results, followers of the game who have paid good money to watch it live or watch it on television will be left to wonder whether there has been fixing and whether what they have been watching is a genuine contest between bat and ball." The jailing of the players will come as a huge shock in Pakistan, where cricketers are super stars. Butt, Asif and Majeed are thought to have been sent to Wandsworth prison in south London while Amir will serve his sentence at Feltham young offenders' institution in west London. Amir's barrister, Henry Blaxland QC, said he would be seeking bail pending an appeal against his client's sentence. The BBC's James Pearce on Twitter said: "Amir's bail hearing is starting now and taking place behind closed doors. Amir will be brought up from the cells to attend it." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15573463
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