Cricket:Three Pakistani players at the centre of 'spot-fixing' allegations will miss tomorrow's match against Somerset after it was confirmed they will instead be attending an inquiry in London.
Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer are to travel from Taunton to the capital today and be interviewed by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt and their country’s high commissioner tomorrow morning.
They will therefore play no part in the 50-over match against Somerset, the Pakistanis’ warm-up fixture before two Twenty20s and five one-day internationals against England.
The PCB announced their intention yesterday to hold an internal investigation into newspaper allegations that the three players were involved in a conspiracy to defraud illegal bookmakers.
Businessman Mazhar Majeed was arrested in connection with the allegations last weekend and interviewed at Scotland Yard for 24 hours before being released on police bail without charge.
Butt, Asif and Aamer were also interviewed at the team hotel in London on Saturday night after newspaper reports alleged a plot to bowl no-balls to order in the Lord’s Test.
Amid widespread calls for the three players to somehow be kept out of the scheduled limited-overs matches against England, the International Cricket Council promised “prompt and decisive” action against anyone found guilty of match-fixing.
The PCB responded by announcing their own inquiry — and although its exact timing was initially unclear, it has been confirmed this morning that the three players will travel to London today and be interviewed at the Pakistan High Commission tomorrow.