As per reports, British sporting agent Mazhar Majeed accepted £150,000 and arranged a spot-fix that involved Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, with then-skipper Salman Butt overseeing things on the field.
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir arrives at the Lord’s Cricket Ground for Day 4 of the fourth and final Test against England in 2010. AFP
On this day back in 2010, the game of cricket faced perhaps its darkest days when the murky world of spot-fixing took centre stage in the sport. This took place during the Lord’s Test match between England and Pakistan when a British tabloid ran a stunning sting operation.
This Test match came at the centre of a police investigation for spot-fixing allegations, when 35-year-old Mazhar Majeed was arrested. He was a sporting agent who was nabbed by the police and he allegedly claimed to have bribed a couple of Pakistani cricketers to deliberately bowl no-balls on demand during the Test match.
As per reports, Majeed accepted £150,000 and arranged a spot-fix that involved Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif. The reports went on to suggest that both these bowlers would bowl no-balls at pre-decided moments during the fixture.
It also alleged that the then-Pakistan captain Salman Butt and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal, along with three unnamed players, were also part of the scandal. The report also ran a video recording that showed Majeed predicting the kind of delivery Amir would deliver in the first over of England’s innings.
It needs to be mentioned here that Kamran Akmal and the other unnamed players were cleared of having played any role in the spot-fixing episode.
Following the report, the International Cricket Council (ICC) jumped into action and formed a tribunal that included its anti-corruption unit and Scotland Yard. The joint investigation announced a 10-year ban on Salman Butt (with five years as suspended sentence); seven years for Asif (with two years suspended) and a five-year ban for Amir from featuring in any form of cricket.
Amir made a comeback to international cricket in 2016 and featured in his comeback Test at the same venue – Lord’s. He has since carved out a decent career for himself. However, both Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif have not made any comeback and have since bid goodbye to the game.
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