LONDON: Pakistan bowler Mohammad Asif said Thursday he was verbally abused by his then captain Salman Butt before he delivered a no-ball during the Lord's test against England last year.

The 28-year-old Asif took the stand for the first time on the 12th day of the spot-fixing trial at London's Southwark crown court.

During the 10th over of the fourth test against England in August last year, Asif bowled one of three no-balls that were allegedly pre-determined as part of a fixing conspiracy.

Asif denied taking any money for delivering the no-ball and said Butt's words had put him under intense pressure.

''He said run faster (expletive), and went on to say something like 'haven't you slept'? Somebody kept shouting. I think Butt was saying things; that made me lose concentration,'' Asif said.

Asif, Butt and teammate Mohammad Aamer are accused of conspiring with agent Mazhar Majeed to bowl deliberate no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges. Majeed and Amir aren't required to appear in court.

In a 90-minute exchange, Butt's lawyer Ali Bajwa accused Asif of inventing the exchange with his captain to justify the no-ball.

''Why didn't you say at this point (in your police interview) that my captain was putting me under pressure and that's why I bowled the no-ball,'' Bajwa said.

Asif explained that in his police interview, he had said that he was not pressured into bowling an intentional no-ball.

Instead, it was the verbal abuse from Butt that made him bowl what he regards as an accidental no-ball.

The case continues.