London/Karachi, Sept. 1: Pakistan skipper Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, who have been accused of spot-fixing allegations, will miss the friendly match between Pakistan and Somerset in Taunton on Thursday.
Pakistan team manager, Mr Yawar Saeed, who is in Taunton, Somerset, with the cricket team confirmed on Wednesday morning that the three cricketers had left some minutes ago for London to meet Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt and high commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan in London on Thursday. Mr Hasan was not available for any comments on Wednesday and his office said he was busy in meetings all day long.
[Meanwhile, a two-member team of the International Cricket Council anti-corruption and security unit on Wednesday questioned Mohammad Asif’s ex-girlfriend Veena Malik regarding her statement that the tainted Pakistan bowler had done spot-fixing in recent times, PTI reports from Karachi. Earlier in the day, going a step further after claiming that Asif has links with bookies, Ms Malik said the PCB all along knew about this and all national cricketers and officials are “involved in match-fixing from head to toe”. “Pakistan Cricket Board had evidence of this but no action was taken against Asif. From head to toe, Pakistani players and officials are involved in match-fixing,” Ms Malik claimed.]
Fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been accused of deliberately bowling three no-balls during the fourth Test between Pakistan and England at Lord’s last Thursday and Friday.
Mr Saeed said the meeting had been postponed by a day and this would mean that the trio would miss the friendly match against Somerset. He, however, said they had not been dropped from the Pakistan team.