Suspended Pak ’spot-fixing’ trio in reserves for domestic Twenty20 tournament
By ANITuesday, September 28, 2010
ISLAMABAD - Suspended Pakistan trio of Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been selected as reserves for their regional teams for a domestic Twenty20 tournament next month.
During the recent tour of England, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had suspended the trio for their alleged involvement in a 150,000-pound betting scandal with London-based agent Mazhar Majeed
The players have responded to the charges levelled against them, but are yet to be told the dates for their ICC hearing.
Lahore selected Butt, Rawalpindi picked Amir and Asif was included by defending champion Sialkot, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
The three players would still need clearance from the ICC to take part in the event.
According to the ICC anti-corruption code of conduct: “No player who is the subject of any provisional suspension may participate in any international match or (any other kind of match) that is authorized, organized, sanctioned, recognized or supported in any way by the ICC or a National Cricket Federation.”
Meanwhile, defending the decision to select the players, Rawalpindi Cricket Association chief Naeem Akhtar said that the association is hopeful that Amir would come out clean in the scandal.
“If Amir gets cleared before the Twenty20 tournament and we do not submit his name to the PCB for it, we could not play him in the tournament,” Akhtar said. (ANI)
