Spot-fixing saga: Suspended Pakistani trio leaves for Qatar to attend hearing
Suspended Pakistan trio featuring former captain Salman Butt along with Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have left for Doha, Qatar to appear before International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Tribunal in connection with spot-fixing allegations by a British tabloid, News of the World.
The hearing will start on Thursday in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Qatar-c2986’s capital city of Doha.
The ICC has established a three-member tribunal to hear the case. The head of the ICC’s Code of Conduct Commission, Michael Beloff will head the tribunal in a six-day long hearing which starts on Thursday, 6 January 2011. The other two members of the tribunal are Sharad Rao of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kenya-c752 and South African Justice Albie Sachs.
The three Pakistan players were suspended provisionally by the ICC on 2 September 2010 following spot-fixing charges against them during the final Test against England at Lord's. The saga started after a British tabloid News of the World claimed that several Pakistani players were bribed by an illegal bookmaker to deliver a few deliberate no-balls.
The players were given the right to appeal against their provisional suspension. Butt and Amir did so but their appeals were overturned by Michael Beloff after a two-day hearing in Dubai.
Before leaving for Qatar, the tainted teenage talent of Pakistan, Mohammad Amir was confident that he will get a clean-chit at the end of the six-day long hearing.
"My lawyer has prepared the case extensively and I hope that I will be cleared," the 18-year-old pacer told reporters at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore. "This is the toughest period of my life but I am confident that it will be over and I will be playing for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 soon," he added.
Amir is being represented by a Pakistani lawyer Shahid Karim, Salman Butt by UK-based lawyer Yasin Patel while British Prime Minister David Cameron’s brother Allan Cameron will be defending Mohammad Asif in his case.
Besides the suspended trio, Pakistan’s limited overs captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 and coach Waqar Younis have been asked by the ICC to appear in the hearings either in person or through teleconference.
The hearings are scheduled from 6 to 11 January before the tribunal delivers its final verdict over players’ future. The cricketers, if proven guilty, could be punished with heavy fines or bans from cricket.
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