In a dramatic new twist to the “spot-fixing” scandal that has rocked world cricket, Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and two other tainted players, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif, were on Tuesday stopped from practicing at Taunton.
The three players, at the centre of the scandal, have been asked to return to London for another round of questioning by the Scotland Yard.
According to sources, the decision to delink the three players from the team was taken by the team management after a marathon meeting, which took stock of the developments arising out of the sting operation of the British tabloid News of the World.
The sources said that there was considerable pressure from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to take action on the tainted players to restore the credibility of the upcoming T20 and ODI series.
It is not known when the Scotland Yard sleuths will interrogate the players. Pakistan's coach Waqar Younis, batting coach Ijaz Ahmed, assistant manager Safaqat Rana and manager Yawar Saeed were still in a close-door meeting.
The development comes amid strong indications that the Pakistan Cricket Board has resolved dismissing the three players. Geo TV reported that the PCB has taken this decision and it may be implemented before Thursday.
There was more trouble for the Pakistan team with another report claiming that Scotland Yard investigators last weekend recovered wads of cash worth 50,000 pounds in Butt's hotel room at the Marriott at Swiss Cottage in London.
Of this money, 21,000 were in South African Rands and UAE Dirhams while the remaining were in pounds, according to a report in Mumbai Mirror. When asked about the cash, Butt had reportedly told the investigators that it had been collected for his sister's trousseau.
Sources in the team are now saying that Test captain Butt was responsible for the clout that bookie and player agent Mazhar Majeed enjoyed in the team. Asif had also reportedly told the investigators that it was Butt who had introduced Majeed to the players.