How it all unfolded

Published October 31, 2011

-File photo

Timeline of the spot-fixing case against Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif and agent Mazhar Majeed:

2010 August 29 - The News of the World newspaper says it paid 150,000 pounds (230,000 dollars) to agent Mazhar Majeed in return for details about the timing of three no-balls in Pakistan's fourth Test against England at Lord's.

- The report says Pakistan bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif delivered blatant no-balls at the exact points in the match agreed with the alleged fixer.

- The bowlers and Test captain Salman Butt are interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives.

-News of the World publishes photograph of Majeed counting wads of banknotes given to him by a reporter posing as a front man for a betting syndicate.

August 31

- Butt, Amir and Asif summoned to meet the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ijaz Butt, and the Pakistan high commissioner, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, in London.

September 2

- Salman Butt, Amir and Asif dropped from the two Twenty20 matches against England.

- The three vow to clear their names, according to Hasan, who adds they are pulling out due to the “mental torture” of the scandal.

-International Cricket Council (ICC) charges Butt, Amir and Asif with various offences under its anti-corruption code. All three provisionally suspended.

September 3

-Ronnie Flanagan, chairman of the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, tells reporters: “There is a really arguable case to answer”.

September 4

- Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi apologises for the row, saying: “On behalf of these boys -- I know they are not in this series -- I want to say sorry to all cricket lovers and all the cricketing nations.”

September 5

-News of the World releases footage of Pakistan Test player Yasir Hameed in which he claims team-mates “were doing it (fixing) in every match”.

September 17

-Police pass “spot-fixing” file to the Crown Prosecution Service, England's state prosecutors.

November 4

- Pakistan suspends the contracts of Butt, Asif and Amir. December 13

-Butt denies the allegations, saying: “I have not done anything such as this in all my life or cricketing career”.

2011 January 11

-After six days of evidence, a three-man independent anti-corruption tribunal, meeting in Qatar, delays announcement of its findings until February 5.

February 4

-British prosecutors charge Butt, Amir, Asif and Majeed with conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.

February 5

-ICC bans Butt for 10 years, with five suspended, Asif for seven years with two suspended and Amir for five years straight after being found guilty of corruption.

September 9

-Amir pleads guilty to British police charges against him at a pre-trial hearing.

October 5

-Trial of Butt and Asif begins at Southwark Crown Court in London. The pair plead not guilty. Prosecutors say the case “reveals a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket”.

October 17

-Butt takes the stand, telling the court he ignored requests by Majeed to fix matches. “I was absolutely not interested in what he was talking about,” he said.

October 27

-Jury sent out to consider their verdicts.

November 1

-Butt and Asif found guilty by unanimous verdict of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and by majority verdict on conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.

November 2

-It can be reported for the first time that Majeed pleaded guilty to his involvement in the scam in September after the judge lifts reporting restrictions on his admissions to conspiracy to cheat and obtain and accept corrupt payments.

November 3

-Butt is sentenced to 30 months in jail, Asif to a year and Amir to six months. Majeed is jailed for two years and eight months. They are to serve half their sentences in prison before being released on licence.

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram atrocity
22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

WITH the situation in KP’s Kurram tribal district already volatile for the past several months, the murderous...
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

PAKISTAN has now registered 50 polio cases this year. We all saw it coming and yet there was nothing we could do to...
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...
Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...