Pakistan Match-Fixing Timeline

As ex-Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir as well as agent Mazhar Majeed await sentence for their part in the match-fixing scandal; we take a look at how things extended.

The quartet will be sentenced on Thursday, with custodial sentences probable.

2010

August 28: News broke of a cricket dishonesty story in the following day's News of the World concerning the timing of no-balls delivered during the fourth Test between England and Pakistan, which was still ongoing.

August 29: Thirty-five-year-old Mazhar Majeed was arrested in connection with police inquiries into allegations of 'spot-fixing' to defraud illegal bookmakers. He was bailed without charge. Pakistan team management confirmed captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir had had their mobile phones confiscated by police.

August 30: A three-man delegation from Pakistan's Federal Investigations Agency was sent to London to probe the claims. The International Cricket Council promise to take "swift and decisive action" if allegations were proved.

September 1: Butt, Asif and Amir travelled to London from the team hotel in Taunton for a meeting with the Pakistan High Commission the next day, also attended by Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt.

September 2: Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed the trio would miss the Twenty20 and one-day international sections of their series against England. The ICC charged the trio under their anti-corruption code and suspended them.


September 3: ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat confirmed Butt, Asif and Amir were being questioned by police in London. They were released without charge.

September 17: Scotland Yard confirmed a file of evidence on claims that Pakistan cricketers accepted cash bribes had been passed to prosecutors.

September 19: PCB chairman Butt alleged that some England players claimed "enormous amounts of money" to fix the result of the one-day match at The Oval on September 17.

September 20: England captain Andrew Strauss expressed "surprise, dismay and outrage" at Butt's remarks and admitted he and his team-mates had "strong misgivings" about finishing off the one-day series. The ECB said Butt's comments were "wholly irresponsible and without foundation".

September 29: Butt apologised for his remarks regarding the England team after the threat of legal action by the ECB.

2011

February 4: The Crown Prosecution Service said Butt, Asif, Amir and Majeed had been charged with conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments.

February 5: Butt, Asif and Amir were served with bans for 10, seven and five years respectively by the ICC. Five years of Butt's ban and two years of Asif's ban were suspended, and all punishments were backdated to the beginning of their suspensions in September.


October 4: The trial of Butt and Asif began at Southwark Crown Court in London.

November 1: The jury of six men and six women unanimously found the pair guilty of conspiracy to cheat, and both Butt and Asif were also convicted of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments by a majority of 10 to two. It was also allowed to be reported that Amir pleaded guilty to accepting corrupt payments at a pre-trial hearing on September 16.

November 3: Sentences expected.

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Zimbabwe stable in react to NZ's 426

Zimbabwe 82 for 1 (Sibanda 53*) trail New Zealand 426 (Guptill 109, Taylor 76, Brownlie 63, Mpofu 4-92) by 344 runs

Fast bowler Chris Mpofu and opening batsman Vusi Sibanda lead a Zimbabwe fightback on the second day of the one-off Test next to New Zealand in Bulawayo.


New Zealand had looked set for an impressive total after reaching 401 for five halfway through the afternoon meeting but they suffer a theatrical fall down to 426 all out, with Mpofu claim four of the seven Black Caps wickets to fall today.

Sibanda then took up the baton as Zimbabwe started their first innings, scoring a winning 53 to lead the home side to 82 for one by the close of play.

Hamilton Masakadza was also there on 22 not out after Zimbabwe had misplaced Tino Mawoyo for five.

New Zealand started the day in a strong place on 275 for three but, after a rain-delayed start, they suffered an early blow when captain Ross Taylor was dismiss in the second over by Test debutant Njabulo Ncube without adding to his overnight score of 76.

Taylor flash at a wide half-volley from the 22-year-old pace man and edge a catch through to wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva.

That bring in another Test newcomer, Dean Brownlie, and he added a patient 45 for the fifth wicket in 21 overs with BJ Watling before Zimbabwe struck again to send away the latter for 39, Chakabva taking an edge off Mpofu.

New Zealand avoid any more scares before going to lunch on 327 for five and the 27-year-old Brownlie and Daniel Vettori then look to be batting their side back into control with a sixth-wicket stand of 81.

That took the Black Caps past 400, but the discharge of Brownlie for 63, wedged at first slip off the bowling of Ray Price, began a slide that saw the visitors lose their final five wickets for just 25 runs.

Vettori was snare by Mpofu for 40, while Doug Bracewell (nought), Jeetan Patel (12) and Chris Martin (nought) unsuccessful to hang around for long as the tail fold in rapid fashion

When Zimbabwe came out to bat, Bracewell - one five players making their Test debut in the match - tested the home side's patience by bowling six succeeding maidens at the start of his spell.

Bracewell was unable to make a get through during that period, but spinner Vettori looked an instant threat after coming on in the 11th over and, after two big lbw appeals in the previous four balls, he attentive Mawoyo leg-before with the fifth delivery of his second over to earn New Zealand their first breakthrough.

However, that was the only wicket the visitors could claim today as Sibanda and Masakadza public an uninterrupted 58-run stand to guide Zimbabwe throughout to the close, trailing New Zealand by 344 runs.

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Sanath Jayasuriya jump to defended Tillakaratne Dilshan

Sanath Jayasuriya has defended Tillakaratne Dilshan's captaincy as Sri Lanka get ready for the third and final Test next to Pakistan in Sharjah.

Dilshan replace Kumar Sangakkara as Sri Lanka captain after the World Cup and Sri Lanka have struggle for constancy since, behind Test and one-day series in both England and Australia.

A sketch and nine-wicket beat in the opening two matches next to Pakistan mean they can't win their current Test series, the final match of which starts on Thursday.

And previous Sri Lanka all-rounder Jayasuriya has protected Dilshan.

He told Sri Lankan newspaper the Daily Mirror: "Dilshan is an outstanding choice as captain. He is still new to the accountability. So what all Sri Lankans should do is not being putting him down.

"We should all support him and give him strength. We should give confidence him when he is failing. Even his batting breakdown is only temporary. That is only to be predictable with the added burden of captaincy.

"But if we put more and more pressure on him, it will take longer for him to recover."

Jayasuriya is undisturbed by recent results, saying: "I played cricket for the country for the past two decades. I have seen sufficient uneven periods like this to know that there is nothing alarming.

"Especially, you have to keep in mind that this is a team rebuilding phase.

"Having ups and downs is common in cricket. Yes, we are not doing well now. But it won't be permanent. There is no need to panic."

Pakistan were echoing winners in the second Test in Dubai, and captain Misbah-ul-Haq is keen to see his side build on that presentation as they look to wrap up a 2-0 series victory.

"We will go for one more win at Sharjah and I have told the players to go absolutely, in the same manner as they have been doing," he said.

"The best thing about this team is that no one player is key for us. Everybody here is key, it's a comparatively new team but players are ahead experience and it's helping the team.

"We are batting and bowling well in this series."

Pakistan is likely to attach with the same line-up from the second Test, while Sri Lanka could bring in off-spinner Suraj Randiv.

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