Published>Thu, Sep 09 10 09:27 PM
London/Lahore, Sep 9 (IANS) Fearing a violent backlash at home, Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif, one of the three players accused of spot-fixing, is considering seeking political asylum in Britain, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt said Asif along with Test captain Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Aamer will come back to the country.
Ijaz in a press conference in Lahore said that fast bowler Wahab Riaz will, meanwhile, be questioned by the Metropolitan police in London Sep 14 in connection with the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked world cricket.
'They were interviewed for nine hours. There are no police charges against them nor have their movements been restricted. If there was anything against them they would have been arrested. They did not arrest them. We have informed the police that they will be travelling back to Pakistan in the next few days,' Ijaz said.
'Police have also asked that Wahab Riaz should be made available to them for an interview on Sep 14 and we have arranged for the interview in London,' he said.
Riaz will be the fourth Pakistani player to be questioned by the Metropolitan police after the International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended Salman, Asif and Aamer last week.
Asif fears that match fixing allegations could make him the potential target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the Pakistan bowler had a 35-minute meeting with an immigration lawyer last Friday. During the meeting, he told the lawyer that he feared the allegations of spot-fixing in the fourth Test match against England could make him the target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.
The newspaper said that the 27-year-old fast bowler asked an intermediary to arrange a meeting with the lawyer in London last week, and the meeting apparently took place Friday in a Pakistani restaurant in Southall, west London.
'He didn't say anything about asylum at first. He just said, 'What's the way to stay?' Then we told him there's the student way - you can come here to study - or you can apply for a work permit. But then he asked about asylum,' the daily quoted a lawyer, who arranged the meeting, as telling it on the condition of anonymity.
British tabloid 'News of the World' alleged that the three players took bribe for bowling deliberate no-balls during the Lord's cricket Test against England.
Ijaz said that PCB was not in a position to launch its own inquiry since the case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police and the Scotland Yard in London.
'We are also concerned about this and we also have zero tolerance on corruption. We cannot launch a parallel investigation because the matter is already under investigation. Rest assured, we will leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the issue.'
'We wrote a letter to ICC on behalf of the players but they want individual replies from the players which will be given to them in the allowed 14 days. On the fourth day of the Lord's Test Yawar Saeed (team manager) called me and said police have warrants to search the players' rooms. On Friday the players were interrogated for nine hours but no charges are levelled against them,' said Ijaz.
Meanwhile, the ICC has now asked Salman and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to hand over their phone records during the World Twenty20 in the Caribbeans.
The Daily Telegraph reported that the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has asked Salman and Akmal to provide the mobile phone numbers they used and records of calls made during the tournament in May.
The demand was made in a letter sent to the pair at the end of last month's Oval Test against England, a week before the spot-fixing expose in the News of the World.
In the same letter, the ACSU also asked the duo to provide similar details for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka in June.
The daily also reported that the ICC has informed Akmal that he is also under investigation but remains part of the Pakistan squad for the NatWest Series against England.
Salman, Akmal and Aamer were members of the Pakistan team that lost in the final over of a remarkable semi-final against Australia in St. Lucia when Mike Hussey hit three sixes in four balls to win the match.
How could Pakistan lose a winning match when comfortably placed, perplexed watchers of the game have since asked.
Salman and Akmal also opened the batting in a Super-Eight match against England that they lost in the tournament. During that match Pakistan spilled three catches, of which two very simple ones by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, and they missed a run-out against Kevin Pietersen as he guided England to victory.
Pietersen was comfortably beaten by a throw from point when on 64 but, despite collecting the ball cleanly, Akmal missed the stumps.
Source: Web Search
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