Cricket:The fate of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir will not be known until early next month after an anti-corruption tribunal today chose to delay their verdicts.
The three players had spent the past six days at a hearing in Doha, Qatar, answering charges relating to allegations of spot-fixing during last summer’s Lord’s test against England.
Claims of no-balls being delivered to order surfaced during the match in London, and the International Cricket Council swiftly imposed provisional suspensions on the trio.
Closing statements were given today and a verdict was expected to follow, but the three-man tribunal, chaired by Michael Beloff QC, decided to defer a decision until February 5th, with deliberations to continue until then.
“The tribunal has throughout been very conscious of the importance of these proceedings to the three players and to the wider world of cricket,” Beloff said in the statement.
“Representations have been made to it to reserve any decision on the charges still before it until it has had sufficient time to give the issues the most careful consideration and until it is able to, at the same time as handing down its decision, provide written reasons. This would not be feasible in the timetable agreed for this hearing in Doha.
“The tribunal has therefore determined to continue its deliberations and will hold a further hearing in Doha on February 5th this year, at which its decisions will be handed down to the parties and any consequential matters will be dealt with.”
The statement by Beloff also brought to light for the first time that the three Pakistan players had also been under investigation for corruption charges arising from last year’s Oval test against England. Although the specifics of those charges were not revealed, Beloff did confirm that Amir and Asif had been acquitted, but that a charge against Butt remained.
“The ICC has withdrawn all charges against the three players in relation to the Oval test except for one against Mr Butt,” added Beloff. “The tribunal has formally acquitted the players in respect of the charges which have been withdrawn.”
The three players were not immediately available for comment after the hearing, although a statement later released on behalf of Asif explained his delight that the charges against him relating to the Oval test had been dropped. Another charge was also dropped in relation to the Lord’s test match.
That charge, according to the official ICC anti-corruption Code, is described as “providing or receiving any gift, payment or other benefit (whether of a monetary value or otherwise) in circumstances that the player or player support personnel might reasonably have expected could bring him/her or the sport of cricket into disrepute”.