Haroon Lorgat indicates that ICC set to ban spot-fixing trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Asif
The International Cricket Council has broken its silence over the spot-fixing case that is to be decided in the second week of January in Doha, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Qatar-c2986.
The ICC had stated that they do not want to prejudice the case by giving out details of the evidence that they had gathered against the players, yet the Chief Executive of the governing body of the game, Haroon Lorgat, told a leading
British channel that he and his organisation were confident of proving the charges that they had levied against Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.
The charges have been levelled against their alleged involvement in the spot-fixing scandal that broke out during the fourth Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s in August this year.
Lorgat claimed that the ICC has done its homework and has collected solid evidence against the trio.
"We've worked hard at collecting all the evidence that we would require to make the charges stand. We would want to be proportional but at the same time we do not want to show any leniency. These are severe issues and integrity
of the game is absolutely fundamental and we would not want to tolerate any of that in the sport."
The scandal shook the cricketing world and was broken by British tabloid
News of the World.
The paper had alleged that the three players had been involved in bowling deliberate no-balls on the first and second day of the Test match, when England were batting.
The story centred on a video sting operation in which the agent of the players http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed was filmed talking about when the no-balls were to be bowled.
The video also shows him allegedly taking payment for them from an undercover reporter who was posing to be a part of a huge betting syndicate.
Immediately after, the evidence gathered by the paper was handed over to the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard and the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU).
Both units launched their own investigation into the matter and started their pursuit for more evidence that could nail either the players or the publication (the latter for defamation).
Till now, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service is probing the matter and is yet to conclude if they have sufficient evidence that can warrant criminal prosecution against the Pakistani players who have been on
the sidelines ever since the scandal broke out.
Whatever the outcome of the case may be the players would have the right to challenge the ruling in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
This was also confirmed by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719. "My understanding is that any matter that we decide on in a disciplinary process is always open to contest in the Court of Arbitration for Sport."
Meanwhile, the cricketing circles in Pakistan believe that the move by the ICC of banning the players is not going to be opposed by the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board that has bent over backwards in accepting everything
that the ICC has told them since the outlandish allegations levelled by the Chairman of PCB http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128.
An incensed Butt had claimed that the English team was responsible for throwing away the third ODI against Pakistan at the Oval, and later retracted his statement saying that he was told so by a betting syndicate
based in Dubai.
Since then, the PCB has suspended the contracts awarded to the three players, and they have also been barred from taking part in domestic tournaments.
In addition, the players are not allowed to attend any domestic cricket match or take part in any official PCB event, which many feel is totally unjustified as the players are yet to be proven guilty.
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