02/09/2010

Pakistan's Match-Fixing Row Players Dropped From Tour

The three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of a match-fixing row have been dropped from the rest of the team's England tour, according to reports.

Although the players have not been suspended, manager Yawar Saeed told reporters that he decided to leave them out of the squad.

However, on Thursday afternoon, Pakistan high commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan told reporters that the players and voluntarily withdrawn from the team, so that they could defend their innocence.

Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been accused of involvement in spot-betting, following a report in Sunday's News of the World.

The report claimed that the two bowlers had agree to bowl no balls - foul deliveries - during the fourth Test against England at Lord's last week. A reporter from the newspaper had posed as a businessman who paid £150,000 for the information.

The players are currently in London, where they will be questioned as part of an inquiry into the allegations by the Pakistan Cricket Board, while their colleagues play a one-day warm-up game against Somerset in Taunton, ahead of their Twenty20 matches against England, which begin on Sunday.

The International Cricket Council and the police are also investigating the allegations. Police questioned the three players, along with wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, but he is no longer part of the investigation.

Cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was arrested on Saturday in connection with the case, as part of a HM Revenue & Customs investigation in money-laundering , but has been released on bail.

A woman aged 35 from Croydon, and a 49-year-old man from the Wembley area were also arrested in the same investigation, but have also been released on bail.

(KMcA/GK)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

31 August 2010
Pakistan Cricketers Face Punishment If Guilty
The Pakistan cricketers at the centre of a match-fixing row face "prompt and decisive action" if they are found guilty, the sport's ruling body said. The International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit said that they would "not tolerate corruption in this great game" and they are preparing a report, while police also investigate the claims.
04 February 2011
Cricketers To Be Formally Charged
Three Pakistan cricketers are to face charges over alleged spot fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord's last August. Former captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir stand accused of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments. It is expected that agent, Mazhar Majeed, will also be charged.
03 September 2010
Pakistan Cricketers Charged By ICC
The three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of match-fixing allegations have been suspended and charged by the sport's governing body.
20 June 2008
England Rugby Players In 'Serious Sexual Assault' Probe
The England Rugby squad will play New Zealand's All Blacks on Saturday under the shadow of a "serious sexual assault" allegation against four of its players. New Zealand Police have confirmed the nature of the alleged assault today.
28 June 2012
Beckham 'Very Disappointed' At Team GB Snub
International football star David Beckham has been left out of Team GB's Olympic football squad. The former England captain, who helped lead the London bid for the Olympics, said he was "very disappointed" at the snub. Mr Beckham, 37, flew in from Los Angeles last month to light the Olympic Flame and mark its arrival on UK soil.