England captain Andrew Strauss makes the toss at the start of the fourth Test at Lord(***)s in August 2010, as opposing skipper Salman Butt looks on. Pakistan were on a high and looking to draw the series after winning by four wickets at The Oval [GALLO/GETTY]
Published On 3 Nov 20113 Nov 2011
Rising star: 18-year-old bowler Mohammad Amir had ripped through England in the previous match, taking five wickets to cement his reputation as one of the most exciting young quickies in the sport [GALLO/GETTY]
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It was a mixed year for Asian cricket. A British judge jailed three Pakistan stars, including former captain Salman Butt, for their part in a spot-fixing scandal. On-field the Pakistan team did well to put this distraction behind them, beating Sri Lanka in all three formats of the game [GALLO/GETTY]
The claims in the News of the World newspaper were that Asif, Butt and Amir had conspired with an agent, Mazher Majeed, to bowl no-balls at specific times of the match in order to benefit betting syndicates. The paper filmed Majeed describing the plot and taking $242,000 in cash from an undercover reporter [GALLO/GETTY]
That was good enough for cricket(***)s world governing body the ICC. Butt was banned for 10 years, five of which are suspended, Amir was banned for five years and Asif was given a seven-year ban, with two suspended [GALLO/GETTY]
Amir, now 19, pleaded guilty on both counts of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling. Majeed also pleaded guilty, while Butt and Asif pleaded not guilty and went on trial at Crown Court in London [GALLO/GETTY]
Asif, above, and Butt were convicted on both counts on Tuesday. Their careers are most likely over, with only Amir having a slim chance of making a comeback when his ban is over [Reuters]
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On Thursday the judge returned with his verdict: Salman Butt was sentenced to 30 months in jail, Mohammad Asif sentenced to one year in jail, Mohammad Amir received six months, and Mazhar Majeed handed a sentence of two years and eight months [GALLO/GETTY]
