Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and two of the country’s star strike bowlers were grilled by British detectives probing an alleged betting scam on Sunday in a scandal that has rocked the sport.
Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were interviewed by Scotland Yard officers after they arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers during the Test match against England at Lord’s.
The News of the World newspaper said it paid £150 000 to a middle man in return for details about the timing of three no-balls in the match, which ended on Sunday in victory for England.
The report said Aamer and Asif delivered blatant no-balls at the exact points in the match indicated by the alleged fixer in advance.
Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said detectives had on Saturday visited the team’s hotel, where Butt and the bowlers had been interviewed about the allegations.
All three gave statements to the police, who took away their cellphones.
Scotland Yard said they could not discuss persons interviewed as part of an inquiry.
Uproar
The allegations have caused uproar in Pakistan, with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani saying the claims “have bowed our heads in shame”, as he launched an investigation.
News of the World published a photograph of the alleged middle man, Mazhar Majeed, counting wads of banknotes given to him by a reporter posing as a front man for a betting syndicate.
A spokesperson for London’s Metropolitan Police said: “Following information received from the News of the World we have arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers.”
Majeed was out on bail on Monday as police, governments and authorities probed the scandal. He was released from custody having been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers
The match, the fourth and final Test between the two countries, continued as normal at Lord’s on Sunday with Pakistan collapsing to a record defeat with the rapid loss of six wickets to give England victory in the four-match series.
Unusually, the post-match presentation ceremony did not take place on the outfield but was moved inside to the famed Long Room of the Lord’s pavilion.
During the ceremony, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairperson Giles Clarke refused to shake Aamer’s hand when presenting the player with the Pakistan Man of the Series award.
The International Cricket Council stressed that no players or team officials had been arrested over the fixing claims.
Despite the allegations, Saeed denied that Pakistan cricket was “institutionally corrupt”.
“I would not like to say that,” he said. “Yes, one has heard and one has read [allegations], but I would not like to go that far.”
A defiant Butt insisted he would not resign the Test team captaincy over the claims.
“Anybody can stand out and say anything about you, that doesn’t make them true,” he said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said they had requested access to the ongoing investigation.
Dogged by allegations
The latest allegations are a further blow to cricket in Pakistan, already at a low ebb with home matches ruled out due to terrorism fears.
The team has been dogged by “fixing” allegations since the 1990s and has also been embroiled in ball-tampering.
In Pakistan, the prime minister said a probe was under way.
“The latest fixing allegations have bowed our heads in shame,” Gilani told reporters in his home town of Multan.
“I have ordered a thorough inquiry into these allegations so that action could be taken against those who are proven guilty.”
President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed his disappointment at the claims and is being informed of developments.
The country’s Federal Sports Minister, Ijaz Jakhrani, promised that any players found guilty would be severely punished.
If wrongdoing was proven, “all the players involved must forget to play for Pakistan in future”, he said.
The News of the World claimed their reporters had posed as front men for an Asian gambling cartel, paying £10 000 to the alleged fixer as an upfront deposit.
They met again on Wednesday in a London hotel room to hand over the rest of the money as their “entry ticket” into what the newspaper claimed was a “huge betting syndicate”.
The no-balls at the centre of the claims were bowled on Thursday and Friday.
Pakistan’s players now face an awkward time as they must remain in England for a series of one-day matches.
“As far as I am concerned the one-day series is on,” Saeed said. — AFP