Thaindian News

Sydney, Sep 4 (ANI): The International Cricket Council could widen its investigations into the allegations against Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir and Salman Butt whom it suspended late Thursday, to cover last year’s contentious Test match played between Pakistan against Australia in Sydney.

The Pakistan cricket team is in the midst of a betting scam, where fast bowlers Mohammed Aamir and Mohammed Asif are alleged to have bowled pre-arranged no-balls in the Lord’s Test against England.

A British tabloid named four Pakistani players and three others of being involved in a spot-fixing racket. It alleged that a Pakistani businessman Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl no-balls and wides in the series and in the Lords test.

ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit chairman Ronnie Flanagan said the current charges pertain only to last week’s fourth Test against England, but that the ICC could still look into what he called a dysfunctional tour of Australia by Pakistan.

“We will go where the evidential trail takes us. At this stage, we do not have such evidence to hand for that tour or that match,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted,” Flanagan, as saying.

Flanagan added that there were separate investigations into other international sides, but that he did not think that the current case was “the tip of an iceberg”.

Speaking on Friday, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said allegations that Asif, Aamir and Butt conspired with bookmakers to deliver deliberate no-balls in last week’s fourth Test against England were hugely detrimental to the image of cricket. (ANI)