The three Pakistani cricketers who have been named in a spot-fixing scandal will not practise with their team in Taunton today, their manager Yawar Saaed said. The Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif will travel to London tomorrow to meet with Pakistan officials in the wake of the allegations. "The three will also be meeting with the Pakistan High Commissioner in London on Wednesday," Saeed told the Geo Super channel.
The three players have been indicted by a 35-year-old Pakistani man caught taking bribes to fix incidents during the Lord's Test against England last week. The British newspaper The News of the World reported on Sunday that Pakistan's bowlers were paid to deliberately bowl no-balls on the opening day. The three players and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal were spoken to by police after being implicated in the story, and some players' mobile phones were confiscated.
The man, Mazhar Majeed, who was arrested and then released on bail, is accused of trying to defraud bookmakers. Pakistan play a warm-up match in Taunton on Thursday ahead of two Twenty20 and five one-day internationals against England. Sources in the Pakistan team said it was decided to keep the three players away from the practice session to avoid any more media attention. "The three have also been told to prepare for the meeting at the high commission in which a British legal expert will also be present," a source said.
The source said the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption and security unit and Britain's Scotland Yard would submit their report on the spot-fixing allegations by Thursday. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement yesterday that until the investigations were completed no player would be suspended. The PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said the players being investigated would not be suspended without proof of wrongdoing. "There is a case going on over here with Scotland Yard," Ijaz told website cricinfo. "This is only an allegation. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken."
The scandal has outraged cricket fans in Pakistan and the country's federal sports minister, Mir Ijaz Hussain Jakhrani, said: "No one has the right to play with the dignity, honour of the country. If the allegations are proved then there could be maximum punishment. It could be lifetime ban, it could be anything, it depends on the allegations." * Agencies