Three cricketers will come back but Riaz will be interrogated: Butt

Published>Thu, Sep 09 10 08:27 PM

Lahore, Sep 9 (IANS) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt said Thursday that the three tainted cricketers -- Test captain Salman Butt and pacers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif -- will come back to the country while fast bowler Wahab Riaz will 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,' Butt 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.

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.

Butt 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.'

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Butt, Aamer and Asif.

'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 Butt.

Source: Web Search