Mohammad Amir blame PCB for fit fiasco

An apologetic Mohammad Amir has answerable PCB for not calming him enough against corruption and vowed to make known "more" about the case.

Amir was sent to young offender custody centre for six months while Butt and Asif were sent to jail for 30 months and 12 months correspondingly after being found guilty of spot-fixing during last year's Lord's Test against England.

The young bowler held the Pakistan cricket establishment for not doing sufficient to create awareness among players about the pitfalls of getting into corruption.

"The PCB never told me just how serious an offence it was to get into these sorts of things. They didn't educate me sufficient about anti-corruption laws," he added.

He also expressed dissatisfaction at the way Butt and Asif slander him during the trial in a London court.

"They tried to refuse my standing and name during the trial and when the time comes I will reveal all about this case," said Amir, who picked up 51 wickets in his short career of 14 Tests.

Amir apologized for his role in the scandal. "I really regret what I have done. I am really sorry for what has happened. I can only now say sorry to my countrymen and all cricket lovers for my actions," Aamir said.

The 19-year-old left-arm pacer, who was compared to Wasim Akram and other greats at his tender age, said the realization of what he had done and how he had harmed his countrymen and the sport came very late.

"If I had known this would all end this way I would have stayed clear from such things? I got misled and was mistaken and today, I have paid the price for it," Amir told Geo News, shortly after the judge announced his sentence.

"I got approved absent and it was the biggest error of my life," he added.

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Andrew Strauss needs calm on jailed trio

England skipper Andrew Strauss is strong-minded to see that his players do not harbor any ill-feeling against Pakistan in the wake of spot-fixing scandal.

Several British players such as Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann have made their resentment public in the background of the spot-fixing scandal, in which three Pakistani cricketers were found guilty and sentence for varied terms.

Off-spinner Swann has exposed in his life story that England players required nothing to do with the Pakistan side (in 2010 tour) and that the situation was "vile."

Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad had said that they felt painful stay in the same hotel as Pakistan during the World Cup.

"Strauss himself has described dishonesty as a "cancer" in cricket, but will try to make sure his players remain listening carefully on beating Pakistan without distractions. He will hold a team conference at the start of the tour in the New Year and spell out the need to avoid any simmering rifts," a media report said.

A team insider said England will try to treat the series as "business as usual", the report in 'Sun' added.

England is listed to play three-Tests, four ODIs and three Twenty20 matches next to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

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Shane Watson needs life prohibit on fixers

Australia vice captain Shane Watson feels life bans should be handed out to dishonest cricketers to send out a strong signal to others.

Watson's explanation came after three Pakistani cricketers-- Salman Butt, Mohhamed Asif and Mohammad Amir -- were sentence to jail after being found guilty in a spot-fixing scandal.

Former captain Butt was sentence to two-and-a-half years while fast bowlers Asif and Amir received 12 and six-month terms respectively.

"In the end, I think a life ban is surely sufficient to be able to say to people that it's the wrong thing to do. It's challenging the truthfulness and taking the game of cricket down," said Watson.

"Whether it's jail, whether it's a life [playing] ruling, there's no doubt that the punishments are very severe for doing the wrong thing. Since I first started playing, you know that if you do something wrong in that look upon you won't be playing cricket ever again," he said.

The burly all-rounder said the Pakistani trio has got the action they deserve for their action.

"It's very unsatisfactory when you see the things that have happen in England with the Pakistan guys and, in the end, they deserve the sentence that they do get because they've done the wrong thing in a big way.

"For me for myself, it's given me an amazing life and something I only still dreamed of, so I would never would want to do anything that even question the aptitude for me to be able to play the game that I love so much," he told Australian Associated Press.

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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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