Butt Wants Pakistan Spot Fixing Trial

Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt, who was jailed for 30 months in the UK last year for spot-fixing, has called for a new trial in Pakistan.

Butt, 27, who was freed from prison last week and has since returned home, said he was wrongly convicted and would be cleared in a Pakistani court.

He was jailed along with two other cricketers for the deliberate bowling of no-balls in a 2010 Test match.

They were also given five-year playing bans, which they are appealing against.

"I don't think I got justice in the trial that sentenced me to a jail term," the Reuters news agency quoted him telling a news conference in Lahore.

"I want a trial in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, because there was no evidence confirming I did spot fixing."

He was released from Canterbury Prison last Thursday after serving seven months of his two-and-a-half year prison sentence.

The two cricketers sentenced to prison along with him, bowlers Mohammad Asif, 29, and Mohammad Amir, 19, have also since been freed.

Salman Butt Files Appeal

Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has filed an appeal against his 30-month jail sentence for his part in the conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test match, his lawyer says.

His conviction relates to last year's match against England at Lord's.

Bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, was jailed for one year and bowler Mohammad Amir, 19, was sentenced to six months for their part.

Cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was jailed for two years and eight months.

Lawyer Yasin Patel confirmed Butt's appeal to the Associated Press on Wednesday.

In February all three players were banned from playing for five years by the International Cricket Council. All three are appealing against their suspensions.

The men were arrested after the fourth Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.

An undercover News of the World reporter had paid Majeed £150,000 for details of the precise timing of three no-balls, which were duly delivered as promised.

Such actions can be extremely valuable on the spot-fixing betting market, which involves betting on the finer details of sporting contests.

Majeed claimed to have paid Asif £65,000, Butt £10,000 and Amir £2,500.

The judge told all the players they would be released on licence half way through their sentences if they behaved.

Three More Pakistan Cricketers Named

Salman Butt

A further three Pakistan cricketers have been named in court as being allegedly involved in a betting scam.

The prosecution claim that the agent Mazher Majeed, 36, told an undercover reporter he had players he could control in relation to fixing.

Former captain Salman Butt, 26, and fast bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, deny conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat.

The players were named as Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, and Wahab Riaz.

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir, 19, was earlier named as also being under the agent's control.

The case at Southwark Crown Court centres around a Test match against England at Lord's in 2010 however evidence is being heard relating to an Oval Test which took place on an earlier date.Under control

The court heard that Mr Butt was allegedly taped by an undercover reporter for the now defunct News of the World agreeing to score no runs.

He also heard to say he would deliberately bat a "maiden over" which is when a cricketer scores no runs in an over, the prosecution alleged.

His London-based sports agent, Mr Majeed, discussed the arrangement with the cricketer by phone while agreeing a deal with reporter Mazher Mahmood who was posing as a rich Indian businessman.

The court heard that Mr Mahmood had paid £10,000 to fix part of the match.

In return for the £10,000, Mr Mahmood wanted to see proof that the agent had players under his control, and that he could control part of the match, the jury was told.

The agent then phoned the cricketer to confirm the deal, the prosecution claimed. The captain agreed to tap the ground with his bat after the second ball of his deliberate maiden over, an action which would not arouse suspicion because batsmen frequently do this.

When Mr Mahmood pointed out that the cricketer sounded asleep during the phone call, Mr Majeed is said to have said: "Believe me, he's done this many times."

The journalist asked whether Mr Butt could be trusted, to which the agent allegedly replied: "Salman is one million per cent trustworthy."

Their alleged conversation, which was recorded by the reporter, happened the night before the Test on 21 August last year.

The trial continues.