Prosecutors allege that agent Mazhar Majeed conspired with Salman Butt and fast-bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif to deliver three deliberate no-balls during last August’s Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England, in return for bribes. The two cricketers deny the charges.
Ali Bajwa, defending Butt, said that the former captain only found himself embroiled in the whole saga because of Majeed.
“Butt only finds himself here on trial because of the words of his former friend and agent, Majeed,” he told court.
Bajwa said Butt told the police in an interview that the fact that the no-balls were bowled exactly when Majeed said they would be was a “freakish coincidence”.
“That’s not, and has never been, part of Butt’s defence.” Bajwa told the jury. “I anticipate that everyone in this case will agree that there was at the very least a criminal conspiracy between Majeed and Amir. It’s Butt’s case that he didn’t know of the existence of a conspiracy to bowl no-balls at Lord’s and he would never have allowed himself to become party to it.
“Just consider the evidence. Majeed told [the undercover journalist Mazhar] Mahmood when Amir would bowl his no-balls. Then Majeed calls Amir and said we’ve spoken about everything before. Then the next day Amir duly bowled one of the two no-balls that had been promised. Rain prevented the other.
“On August 26 [the next day] he sent Amir a text saying after you finish your first over, then in your third over. Amir, the next day bowled a no-ball off the third ball of his third over. We concede that there’s strong evidence against Majeed and Amir,” said Bajwa.
But he asked the jury “if you do decide there was a criminal conspiracy to bowl no-balls, was Butt party to that conspiracy? Butt didn’t know of any conspiracy to bowl no-balls at Lord’s.”
Butt cross-examined
The former captain spoke of his pride at being selected for the national side.
“To represent Pakistan was the greatest honour of my life,” he said.
Explaining why police found nine mobile phone sim cards in his hotel room after the scandal broke, Butt said it was cheaper to buy local phone cards when he was on tour overseas.
The cricketer also said he brought about $12,000 in cash with him to England last year with the aim of buying a special edition-watch costing around £8,000.
Butt revealed to the court that he had earned approximately £1.2 million ever since he started playing for Pakistan in 2003. Butt also said that he confronted Majeed about text messages he had sent him to fix elements of a Twenty20 match against South Africa at the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup
The case continues.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2011.
COMMENTS (9)
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Is Pakistan tax department doing something about this earning/money. Has the guy paid taxes. Salman Butt giving $100,000 to his mother and his foreign bank accounts; has he been taxed by Pakistan tax authorities....FBR wake up
SALU WE LOVE U AND WE WANT U BACK
seems that the only one going to suffer is unfortunately Amir, these bigger criminals will easily slip out of their hands ...
Sir...please could you jusitfy your links and dressing room visiting of alleged bookie...Mr yawar saeed msut also be questioned that what the hell this bookie was doing with guys...isnt it
Innocent till proven guilty...
@Doctor: The case aside, your comment is incredibly puerile. Most people in the world carry Dollars wherever they go because its the most widely used currency in the world Pakistan's currency is Pak Rupees and yet all our reserves are in USD. Let's assume that Mr. Butt was involved in spot fixing and was paid the entirety of the $12000, well in your line of reasoning shouldn't he have been paid in GBP given that he received the bribe in the UK?
Pakistanis have a habit of having an (unfortunately naive) opinion about everything even when they clearly don't know anything about the issue on hand.
Shame!
His eyes are brown ...