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Troubled players withdrawn
Source: Agencies |
September 3, 2010, Friday
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THE three Pakistan cricketers at the center of fixing allegations have insisted they are innocent.
Bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and test captain Salman Butt proclaimed their innocence in a meeting yesterday with Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan in London. Hasan said in a statement the players maintain "they are entirely innocent in the whole episode and shall defend their innocence as such."
Earlier, the players were omitted from the Pakistan squad for the rest of the tour of England.
Hasan said the players requested not to play the remainder of the tour "on account of the mental torture which has deeply affected them."
"They said they are extremely disturbed at what has happened," Hasan said. "They mentioned that they are entirely innocent."
British police confiscated the three players' mobile phones following allegations of corruption in a British newspaper. They were accused of taking bribes to fix incidents in the fourth test against England which finished at Lord's last Sunday.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed told reporters the three players would be replaced.
"We will ask for three replacements," Saeed told reporters before a one-day warmup match against English county Somerset.
"The T20 squad for two games will remain as it is here this morning, this means 13 people. For the one-day internationals subsequently we will be asking for replacements to make up the squad of 16 again."
Pakistan will play two Twenty20 matches against England in Cardiff followed by five 50 overs games.
ICC pressure
A team source said that Pakistan withdrew the three players on the advice of the International Cricket Council. "The PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt was advised by the ICC to not consider the three players for selection until the investigations into alleged spot-fixing during the recent Test series against England are completed," the source said.
The source said the Pakistan Cricket Board was told in clear terms that the ICC could not have the three playing when they were still under investigation and their presence could cause problems for the England and Wales Cricket Board and bring into question the credibility of the matches.
Retired Australian spinner Shane Warne called for life bans if they were found guilty of fixing or conspiring to manipulate matches.
"If it is true and they have been found (guilty of) match-fixing and throwing games and spot betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that's the case they should be thrown out," Warne said yesterday. "I don't think there should be any other way to do it. If it's fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who's involved should be thrown out."
Bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and test captain Salman Butt proclaimed their innocence in a meeting yesterday with Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan in London. Hasan said in a statement the players maintain "they are entirely innocent in the whole episode and shall defend their innocence as such."
Earlier, the players were omitted from the Pakistan squad for the rest of the tour of England.
Hasan said the players requested not to play the remainder of the tour "on account of the mental torture which has deeply affected them."
"They said they are extremely disturbed at what has happened," Hasan said. "They mentioned that they are entirely innocent."
British police confiscated the three players' mobile phones following allegations of corruption in a British newspaper. They were accused of taking bribes to fix incidents in the fourth test against England which finished at Lord's last Sunday.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed told reporters the three players would be replaced.
"We will ask for three replacements," Saeed told reporters before a one-day warmup match against English county Somerset.
"The T20 squad for two games will remain as it is here this morning, this means 13 people. For the one-day internationals subsequently we will be asking for replacements to make up the squad of 16 again."
Pakistan will play two Twenty20 matches against England in Cardiff followed by five 50 overs games.
ICC pressure
A team source said that Pakistan withdrew the three players on the advice of the International Cricket Council. "The PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt was advised by the ICC to not consider the three players for selection until the investigations into alleged spot-fixing during the recent Test series against England are completed," the source said.
The source said the Pakistan Cricket Board was told in clear terms that the ICC could not have the three playing when they were still under investigation and their presence could cause problems for the England and Wales Cricket Board and bring into question the credibility of the matches.
Retired Australian spinner Shane Warne called for life bans if they were found guilty of fixing or conspiring to manipulate matches.
"If it is true and they have been found (guilty of) match-fixing and throwing games and spot betting with the no-balls and stuff, if that's the case they should be thrown out," Warne said yesterday. "I don't think there should be any other way to do it. If it's fixed by players, they should be banned for life. Anyone who's involved should be thrown out."
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