LAHORE – Two of the three Pakistani cricketers suspended on spot-fixing charges face life bans as the date for the announcement of International Cricket Council’s spot-fixing tribunal’s verdict nears. Michael Beloff, the head of the tribunal, is scheduled to announce the verdict on the spot-fixing allegations against the three suspended players on Saturday at a press conference.
According to reliable sources, former captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Asif are likely to be handed life bans while Mohammad Aamir, due to age factor, can get some leniency and get away with ban between two to five years. Salman and Aamir have already left for Doha while Asif will reach there from London.
A report in an English newspaper said that England’s players will welcome harsh sanctions on the Pakistanis, adding that they were close to refusing to play Pakistan in the NatWest one-day series at the end of last summer, following claims that no-balls had deliberately been bowled in the Lord’s Test.
The tainted trio had denied the spot-fixing charges at the initial ICC hearing in early January, and the judgment was deferred until February 5 because, it is believed, the ICC wanted to make sure there were no legal loopholes in the case.
