LONDON – England’s Test cricketers may be re-interviewed by police as the Crown Prosecution Services prepares its case against the three Pakistan players banned for spot-fixing by the ICC early this month. They could even be asked to appear as witnesses to events on the field, and in particular the three no-balls at the center of the scandal, during the fourth Test at Lord’s in August last year, ‘Daily Mail’ reported.
England captain Andrew Strauss and other players who faced Pakistan in that Test have already provided witness statements following the allegations against Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer. If detectives need to interview any of those in the England World Cup squad, they will have to travel to India, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh. Butt, Asif and Amir were banned by the International Cricket Council on February 5 for 10, seven and five years after an anti-corruption tribunal found them guilty of spot-fixing.
Just a day before that, the Crown Prosecution Services had charged the trio for conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and also conspiracy to cheat. The three players have been summoned by the CPS to appear in a Westminster Magistrates’ Court on March 17 to formally face the charges against them.
