LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council feel that the tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir is still understanding the legal status of their case and their legal representation too is yet to grasp the spirit of the ICC.
There is a general feeling within the PCB that the legal experts representing the three cricketers are yet to understand and devise a proper case to fight during a formal hearing in January. The hearing will decide whether to stand or dismiss the spot-fixing charges against the trio. An official of the board said that it is an internal hearing of the ICC against the suspension of the players and not a case in any court of law and thus the players’ representatives should prepare according to the norms of the ICC’s devised code of conduct.
“Going by the statements made by Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer and their lawyers after the appeal hearing against the suspensions, one gets a feeling that the legal team has still not grasped the spirit of the ICC’s anti-corruption code of conduct or its procedural issues,” a PCB official felt.
The ICC has scheduled a six-day hearing of its code of conduct tribunal from January 6 to 11 in Doha to hear the charges against the players. The players and their legal representatives will get an opportunity to cross examine and question the witnesses and evidence produced by the anti-corruption unit. Some reports suggest that the ICC has also indicated that the ‘News of the World’ tabloid and Mazhar Majeed will be asked to appear at the full hearing.
“It is going to be a proper hearing with three men of strong legal background adjudicating on the charges against the trio, but unfortunately, some of the lawyers for the players are apparently mixing up the full hearing with the appeal hearing held last month in Dubai,” reports said.
