Sports

Lawyer for ex-Pakistan captain slams ICC official

Salman Butt's lawyer lashes out at Lorgat who said he would be "disappointed" if players are acquitted.

Afp December 04, 2010

KARACHI: The lawyer for suspended former Pakistan captain Salman Butt on Saturday lashed out at a top cricket official who said he would be "disappointed" if players in a spot-fixing case were acquitted.

Butt is facing an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal along with pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer over allegations of spot-fixing in the series against England earlier this year.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told the BBC he was confident of the case against the players.

"We need to send out a strong message and that is part of what we want to achieve," Lorgat said.

"We've worked hard at collecting all the evidence that we would require to make the charges stand. I am confident that our guys have worked very hard in ensuring they have got a case they can present which should stand the test of scrutiny."

The ICC provisionally suspended the three players in September following reports in British tabloid News of the World which claimed Pakistani players, including the suspended trio, took money to carry out orders from a bookmaker at specific stages in the Lord's Test in August.

Butt and Aamer lost their appeals against the suspension last month, while Asif withdrew after initially deciding to challenge the sanction.

The ICC tribunal, led by code of conduct commissioner Michael Beloff, will hear the case in Doha, Qatar from January 6 to 11. The two other members are Sharad Rao and Albie Sachs.

Butt's lawyer Khalid Ranjha said Lorgat's comments were a "threat to the tribunal."

"What Lorgat has said is tantamount to threatening the prospective tribunal," Ranjha, a former Pakistani law minister, told AFP from Lahore.

"The ICC wants the judges to give a decision on dotted lines and this is not a good example set by the ICC official."

Ranjha, who also represented Butt in his unsuccessful appeal hearing, said he believed ICC was trying to pressure the players into boycotting the tribunal.

The fixing scandal deepened on Wednesday when Pakistani television station Geo broadcast footage apparently showing bookmaker Mazhar Majeed implicating another four Pakistan players during the England tour.

COMMENTS (7)

Ali Farooqui | 13 years ago | Reply @ Bean ... Encouraging criminals?? please do not come hopping down our throats, the trio are facing ALLEGATIONS no matter how severe they may be! the only evidence is the video tape (curiously the age of the tape is not disclosed yet) and it is not OUR duty to adjudicate them .. there is an independent tribunal (presumably still independent after this comment) who will hear and decide.Shamefully your mentality is similar to the vigilante mob hunting Asia bibi. if they are proven guilty then to hell with them ban them for life but do not declare them guilty until they are proven to be so

Usman | 13 years ago | Reply Lorgat is trying to implicate that if the tribunal exonerates the players, he will be disappointed??? This is BS!! He is certainly prejudiced when it comes to Pakistan players. This has become "Lorgat vs Three of our star players" For God sake, the PCB has to take a firm stand and come out with a strategy and should take him for a ride on such biased comments.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Bean | 13 years ago | Reply To all 3 of you who have commented... after seeing all this do you still support these criminals who have sold your country to fill their pockets? If you say you still support them after seeing the video and other evidences.. one can only say you are encouraging criminals. A lesson would be to give each of those that was involved in this fixing a very strictest of the punishments ... ban for atleast 10 years from every form of game.. so that the new youngsters playing for the country will never even think about fixing.

Mobushir | 13 years ago | Reply All europians and british media and specially cricketers are very eager to make Conspiracy about Pakistani Players.and PCB have leave alone these Players that is very redicule bahave of PCB with our National Cricket

Ali Farooqui | 13 years ago | Reply innocent until proven guilty ... only if you are not a Pakistani

Zab786 | 13 years ago | Reply What LOrgot wants to do with these Pakistani crickters?,he is not a judge to pass such a comments at that level where our heroes are preparing the final hearing front of icc official's january 7,i think Lorgot is pressuring Salam,Aamir and Asif to put a extra pressure on these to damage their self charachtor.PCB should react this statement as if Ijaz Butt is awaking, we want justice for these three crickters from the ICC and they will gave them if they are innocent,we are fully aware the situation is,in the upcomming worldcup India doesnt want Pakistan would make a strong side for the mega erena but we hope the Indian dream will never comes to true the Trio will come in action soon in Pakistani cricket.

Kashif Nadeem | 13 years ago | Reply Seriously..what the heck is this TV channel up to???the way Geo has treated this case and specially Zulqarnain Haider issue like if its being broadcasting in India its a disgrace.For god sake keep your countreys part intact..we are against corruption but there should be balanced coverage ......Please Please show some sympthy with this nation..

Replying to X