ICC, PCB rubbish Butt’s ban reports

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LAHORE – The International Cricket Council and Pakistan Cricket Board have rubbished reports stating Pakistan’s suspended batsman Salman Butt may face a seven-year ban while his team-mates, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Aamer, could escape with two year bans respectively. A report on Friday said that Butt is likely to be banned and slapped with a heavy financial penalty. But ICC spokesperson, Sami-ul-Hasan, clarified “the report is completely untrue and speculative”.
He said: “The decision on the trio will be made by the anti-corruption tribunal, which is hearing in Doha between January 6 and 11. No such decision has been made yet.
What has been reported is far from true.”
The report had said the “ICC and ACU have prepared a long list of evidence against Butt based on the fact that he was the captain and responsible for the conduct of the team”. It added that due to the fact Butt was captain would entail the longest ban for him. “As far as Asif and Aamer are concerned, they are likely to escape with shorter bans of around two years each for their role in the spot-fixing allegations,” the report said. “These two pacers are in a position to plead that they were ordered by their captain to do what they did” it said.
It is reported the ICC had been given plenty of evidence and video footage of interviews with bookmaker Mazhar Majeed by the News of the World. “There is a chance that the decision might be announced on the evening of Jan 11,” Hasan said.
The PCB has also rejected the reports, saying that the ICC will reach a decision only after a hearing to be held in Doha next month. “Only the three-member tribunal of the code of conduct commission can decide on the guilt or innocence of the players and until it meets and holds a hearing it cannot reach any decision,” PCB official said. He pointed out the tribunal made up of three experienced judges nominated on the code of conduct commission by the member boards of the ICC can only decide on the case after the players are given a chance to plead their cases at the full hearing in Doha.
“The tribunal has to decide on the merits and demerits of the case at the hearing and then reach any decision,” another official added. He said it was premature to make any suggestions that Butt could be banned for seven years or the two other players would get two year bans. Meanwhile,
the Pakistan Cricket Board on Saturday declined to disclose the names of the players being investigated by PCB’s high-powered integrity committee before they would be given the green signal to play for the national team. PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, Subhan Ahmed, confirmed that some players were under the scrutiny of the integrity committee.
“It would not be appropriate for me to take the names but there is an understanding between the PCB and the ICC and this applies to all boards that the integrity of all players who play for the national teams must be above the board at all times,” he said. “We are signatories of the ICC’s anti-corruption code and as a matter of policy the PCB has also decided to be very clear before selecting players for international assignments,” Subhan added.