Pakistan cricketers might face life bans
A historical decision by the ICC is underway as the threat of a life ban on three Pakistan batsmen is looming on the horizon. Salman Butt who was the captain of the Pakistan cricket team along with Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were involved in the spot fixing
imbroglio that took the British media by storm. Claims of spot fixing were published by the British Tabloid: News of the World, who accused the Pakistan bowlers of deliberately bowling no balls after they were paid by the bookmaker Mazhar Majeed. In the video
the alleged bookmaker http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed has 150,000 pounds lying on the table in front of him, as he talks about his strong links with the Pakistani players and how he could influence them.
As a result of the spot fixing fiasco the three Pakistan players, Captain Salman Butt along with Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were suspended by the ICC. There was immense pressure from certain quarters to curtail the ODI series, however had that been
done it would have cost the England Cricket Board heavily. With the departure of two key bowlers the Pakistan cricket team has been struggling to find their lost rhythm. The captaincy crisis was also considerably deepened as they then had to decide upon the
next test captain.
Misbah ul Haq then took over the reigns of power in the tests played by Pakistan. Under Misbah ul Haq Pakistan has managed to draw a Test series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 starting
from tomorrow.
The three players alleged for spot fixing were then provisionally suspended by the ICC and suspended from playing all forms of cricket until the final verdict takes place. The tribunal begins today and will hear the cases of the players.
The maximum punishment that this might carry will be life bans and the minimum punishment under the governing body’s code of conduct carries a penalty of at least five years.
Following the surfacing of the spot fixing scandal, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard raided the quarters of the players and uncovered cash in the possession of Salman Butt and some cash from the Pakistani teenage bowler Mohammad Amir. They confiscated the cash and took their
cell phones as well. Since then the PCB has taken several measures to ensure that such an incident does not take place in the future, with the making of an integrity committee that would investigate the assets of the players.
The integrity committee forwards its reports to the PCB which then clears players for selection. Based on the findings of the PCB’s integrity committee, there are 90,000 pounds sterling in the bank account of Shoaib Malik, the former captain of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755
team. He has not been able to explain to the PCB where he got the money from. As a result he has not been cleared for selection.
The ICC hearing was originally supposed to take place in Dubai where the ICC headquarters are also located; however Mohammad Asif has been barred from entering Dubai after he was found with illegal drugs at the Dubai airport.
The three man independent tribunal is headed by the code of conduct commissioner and lawyer, Michael Beloff, along with Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa and Kenyan Sharad Rao. The ICC chief executive http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719 told the international media that he
was confident about the strong case the ICC has prepared against the players.
"We've worked hard at collecting all the evidence that we would require to make the charges stand. I am confident that our guys have worked very hard in ensuring they have got a case they can present which should stand the test of scrutiny," Haroon Lorgat
said.
Butt however was defiant that he was innocent and that he had broken no law. He had also told the media that he has been working hard and was looking forward to make a comeback in cricket. He explained that the thousands of pounds which were recovered from
his hotel room were from a sponsorship deal and the fee he charged to appear at the opening of an ice cream parlour.
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