LAHORE/ KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan on Thursday said he was pained to hear the news of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir being jailed for fixing parts of a Test match against England.
Pakistan former Test captain Butt, 27, received 30 months, fast bowler Asif, 28, received one year in jail and 19-year-old Amir was jailed for six months.
Butt and Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of deliberately bowling three no-balls during the Lord's Test in August 2010 as part of a "spot-fixing" betting scam uncovered by Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.
Amir and players's agent Mazhar Majeed, sent down for 32 months, had already pleaded guilty to involvement in the scam. Khan said it was painful to listen to the news.
"It is painful to listen (to) the news as a former Pakistan cricketer and I feel really sorry for their families," Khan, who was on a political meeting here, told AFP.
"In a way I also feel sorry for these cricketers because they are from Pakistan where there are massive corruption cases against president (Asif Zardari) and they must have thought crime pays," said Khan, who now heads his political party -- Tehrik-e-Insaaf (Movement for Justice).
Khan said the punishments are a wake-up call for Pakistan cricket. "The verdict is a wake-up call for Pakistan cricket and from now on we should be ultra careful and, like we did in the past, should never allow the corruption to set in," said Khan, who led Pakistan to their only World Cup win in 1992.
Khan criticised the previous cricket boards for sweeping the matter under the carpet.
"We should not hide behind the justification that it (fixing) happens in international cricket. It does happen, but Pakistan should set its house in order first and anyone involved should be punished," said Khan.
Khan said he always felt sorry for Amir. "I always felt sorry for Amir," said Khan, himself a great fast bowler.
"He may have been influenced by the atmosphere around him, secondly he was the best young fast bowler and for the fact that he came out with a confession," said Khan.
____________________________________________
[poll id="552"]
COMMENTS (22)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Don't worry Imran, they'll be knighted by the queen before being deported after serving their sentences. Amir in particular for being the youngest in the world to be caught at spot fixing
imprisonment is a maximum punishment.These 3 cricketers were not such criminals to diserve it.Ban on playing cricket was enough.All of us are human being and can do mistakes.they have suffered alot and are still suffering.God likes the people who forgive others.
Imran Khan and lot of people are feeling bad for the players and their families but surprisingly nobody is feeling bad for Pakistan cricket fans. We are the people who have spent our precious time and money supporting these cricketers who - as it turns out - were deceiving us all along. We have been cheated. We have been deceived. Imran Khan should feel our pain. Not the pain of convicted criminals.
Dr. Mishra,
You said it yourself. The punishments were trivial because they were teenagers and minors, but not so in the case of these three cricketers
Rule of law must be in Pakistan then many ideal idols shall break to be nothing. I second Khan Vote only for Khan and his PTI KHAN STEP FORWARD
@Dr Mishra There is no room for nitpicking on a committed crime. If law enforcement in UK is apologetic and partial towards their own citizen, it's wrong and should be condemned. But this doesn't mean these cheaters should get away for dragging Pakistan's name and sanctity of sports in mud. I am happy this would make an example out for other players who might be thinking to make some easy money. As for Pakistan, we are always in the news for all the wrong reasons. But it's ENTIRELY our fault and we need to get our house in order first before pointing fingers.
I agree with Dr Mishra, people in UK have got away with far worse than cheating in a game. Besides why should we foot the bill for their imprisonment? The bill for these 3 to be imprisoned will run into thousands. They are going to pay anyway because their careers are probably over. I dont know the full facts but I feel that the Pakistani Cricket Board could have been more proactive in protecting the players. There have cases of other sportsmen/women caught cheating and they have not been prisoned.
I am feeling like its a verdict for me.
I feel sorry for the families of the players, not so much for the players. Their bad-luck however that they are the ones caught, and there may be others who got away with it. Nevertheless, an exemplary action was long overdue for international-cricket.
They might wonder in the prison if there could be a NRO for cricketers.
It was an individual act of the trio and that has nothing to do with their families.
In the lust of making a quick buck, the cricket players even forgot that they were playing for Pakistan’s National Cricket Team.
I have no sympathy for any one, as for me the integrity of Pakistan comes first than individual reputation.
The British Court has done the justice. Let’s see after seeing what has happened to their colleagues, how many more Pakistani Cricketers will get involved in spot-fixing?
Imran Khan is against the corruption in the country. He should feel the pain; the cricketers who were awarded sentence by the British Judge and the Court were filthy corrupt.
He said only that the news is painful...as of but he is not favoring... please try to understand the statement....PLEASE VOTE FOR IMRAN KHAN..
they deserve it,over the years a country entrusts some people{selectors} to select the best available in the country and leave the better ones 4 next time,when they underperform to benefit themselves the country is cheated and surly cheaters must taste jail food and water
Rightly said --- what do we expect the youngster like Amir to do when majority of our rulers are so visibly corrupt --- Indeed we have created a society where kids learn that the crime pays.
This will change InshAllah --- Vote for Imran.
My humble opinion is stop this nonsensical drama called International Cricket for Pakistan. In a country of 180 million people with a handful of resources and a deluge of problems, including a gut-wrenching proportion of those living below the poverty line, what excuse does the government have for spending hundreds of millions on this good-for-nothing sport? My opinion is posted online at http://greenheritagenews.com/?p=10117.
As always IMRAN KHAN with his thoughtful views. I think PAK players have paid for what they did. They have disgraced their nation and should have been severely penalized.
Imran. Spot on!
We feel sorry for their families too.. but for the trio we have no compassion.
Good.