 According to newspaper and television reports from India and Pakistan, Pakistan fast bowler, Mohammad Amir is said to have told the Pakistan Cricket
Board chairman, Ejaz Butt that he was indeed involved in the spot-fixing. However,
he is also said to have told the board that he was pulled into the match-fixing
by the then-captain Salman Butt.
Salman Butt, Amir and Mohammad Asif are the three cricketers who have been
allegedly involved in match-fixing and were suspended by the ICC till they were
proved innocent, According to an Indian newspaper, Amir met up with the PCB
chairman Butt and started crying after he is said to have said that he had indeed
been involved but was forced to do so by the captain Salman Butt.
It was also said that it was Salman Butt, who introduced the youngsters to
alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed. According to Amir, Salman Buttwas
the ringmaster ensured the entire scandal went ahead as planned, A Pakistan's
news agency also added that Amir went on to tell the PCB chairman that he wanted
to remain away from all this mess but was told by Salman Butt to join in. Mohammad
Asif was the other bowler involved in the controversy.
The news agency went on to claim that Amir approached the PCB chairman and
blamed the others involved for the issue. He also said that he was told to do
what he did and that he had never heard of Mazhar Majeed's name before Salman Butt introduced him to the 18-year old bowler.
According to the same news agency, Amir also informed the Pakistani manager,
Yawar Saeed about the issue associated with match-fixing and that he
was being pressured into it. However, there was nothing done, and he had had
no option but to tow the captain's line.
Earlier, the PCB chairman Butt had said that the players were all innocent till
their guilt could be established. However, if the confessions are found to be
true, then it will be a huge blow to the PCB, who has been siding with the players
and blaming everyone else involved in the fiasco.
The trio had been allegedly involved in spot-fixing in the fourth and the
final Test match at Lord's. Since then, the ICC had provisionally suspended
them and the Scotland Yard is probing the entire issue. The verdict should
be out in a week's time according to news agencies.
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