Spot-fixing Scandal: Accused Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt await appeal case hearing in Dubai
An important day in the spot and match-fixing scandal that rocked Pakistan cricket around two months ago is set to take place today, as two of the three players accused in the case are going to have their appeals against their
provisional suspension heard in Dubai.
The two-day hearing, to be conducted by Michael Beowulf, will be important in deciding whether the players can be allowed to return to international cricket as the ICC and Scotland Yard investigate the case.
Meanwhile, the two players and Salman Butt’s lawyer departed for Dubai from Lahore earlier in the day (yesterday) and the three spoke to the media before boarding their flight.
The lawyer for Salman Butt, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Aftab-Gul-c42202 claimed that his client was not guilty as there was no substantial proof against him.
"We are going for justice in their court," Gul said. "We can't pre-empt what decision they give, it's their discretion, but our case is very good. There is no strong evidence against Salman Butt on the basis of which we can say
that he should remain suspended."
The hearing is set to take place for two full days which have been set aside for the hearings, yet it is not certain that it will take that much time to reach a judgment.
The two days were scheduled keeping in mind that there were three players initially appealing, but it all changed when Mohammad Asif withdrew his appeal last week on the advice of his lawyer. "It will be eight hours hearing daily,
but I don't think it's a 16 hours case," Gul said.
The cricketing world (at least, the less cynical of the lot) believes that the two players would have the opportunity of returning to the game as there are no solid grounds to keep the suspension going against them.
It is pertinent to mention here that the permission to return to cricket would not mean that the players are exonerated from the charges levelled against them.
The investigation would continue and their fate would only be known when the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Scotland-c756 Yard and the ICC completes their probe in what has been one of the most turbulent phases in recent cricket history.
The Pakistani selectors have already indicated that they are willing to bring back the two players in the team for the ongoing tour of UAE where the Pakistanis are playing their home series against the South Africans.
The “hosts” of the series have had a miserable time in the series with their abject batting letting them down in the two T20 match series as well as the first ODI (where they were 203 all-out after a spectacular batting collapse
in the middle order.)
The bowling line-up has also missed the pace and swing of Mohammad Amir, who was a real star for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 and was all set to be named as ICC’s Upcoming Player of the Year when the controversy broke out and he found his name deleted
from the list.
Many around the world have called for leniency for the 18-year-old as they perceive him to be the most promising talent in the international game.
He was the most influential player for Pakistan on the tour of England and was in the middle of his best ever spell in Test cricket when he allegedly bowled deliberate no-balls, which was part of a spot-fixing scandal unearthed
by British tabloid News of the World.
He claimed 6 wickets on day two of the Test match at Lord’s, mesmerizing the English batsmen with his swing and seam at a high pace.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mazhar-c75448 Majeed.
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