REVEALED: Former Pakistan captain Butt’s ‘spot-fixing’ admission

Sport360 staff 18:34 18/06/2015
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Salaman Butt was one of the three players who were jailed for 'spot-fixing'.

    Banned Pakistani cricketer Salman Butt has, for the first time, officially admitted to being party to the deliberate no balls bowled during the now infamous ‘spot-fixing’ scandal of 2010 in the Lord’s Test match against England.

    Butt was one of the three players who were banned from the game and given jail time, alongside Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. The ‘fixer’ Mazhar Majeed was also sentenced to two years and eight months in jail.

    Butt was given a 10-year suspension from the game, with five banned and another five suspended, while Asif was given seven-year suspension with five banned and two suspended and Amir would be banned for five years.

    The confession letter in which he accepted his involvement has now been seen by Sport360.

    It reads: “To be clear, I reiterate the statement and sentiment and publicly say: I accept that I am guilty of breaching ICC Anti-Corruption Code in the manner found by the Anti-Corruption Tribunal in its judgment dated February 5 2011, namely being a party to the bowling of two deliberate no-balls in the Lord’s Test match.

    “I unreservedly and unconditionally apologize and express deep regret and remorse for those grave breaches and recognize the harm they have done to the cricket and to the image of Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan as a nation. As a captain, I accept that I had a greater responsibility than any other player in the team.”

    One of the excerpts of Butt’s statement in the letter further read that he urges anyone who knows of any corruption in cricket or who has been approached about fixing reports the incident to the appropriate cricketing authorities.

    The letter concludes: “For public education and my rehabilitation I am available to work with PCB in articulating the sentiment expressed above to such audiences, in such places, and over such period of time as the PCB require in order to instill in others the requisite knowledge required to make them aware of the adverse impact of partaking in such nefarious activities.”  

    The PCB has forwarded the letter to the ICC with chairman Shaharyar Khan saying that the matter is now in the hands of the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).

    Amir accepted his guilt shortly after the plot was uncovered by the now defunct British newspaper News of the World’s sting operation and is now back playing cricket after being given special dispensation to resume his career ahead of the initial September end to his ban.

    Butt too has sped up efforts to return to domestic cricket but was told by the PCB that until he admitted full responsibility he would not be allowed to play.

    A senior PCB official acknowledged that this admission is a major breakthrough for Butt.

    “Over all the years Butt has been saying that his only fault was not reporting about bookies approaching him and that he was innocent and had done nothing wrong. However, he now understand that a player can only comeback after completing sentence of ineligibility only if he satisfies ICC ACSU,” said the PCB official.

    “With the acceptance of being party to the crime and being the access to the evil, he has atleast given himself hope of starting his rehabilitation. But even then, he would have to spill all the beans infront of ACSU regarding the whole saga and then only he can have a chance of atleast start playing domestic cricket.”

    PCB legal adviser Taffazzul Rizvi added: “The step of accepting regret and remorse is to be undertaken by every tainted players so that the process of rehabilitation can be initiated.”

    Recommended