Amir's coach, brother claim he is innocent

Islamabad, Sep 1 : A former mentor and a brother of young Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Amir have both proclaimed his innocence after British police questioned him on spot-fixing allegations following a newspaper sting.

Asif Bajwa, who coached the pacer from his school days, said the scandal was aimed at spoiling his career.

The Pakistan team is in the midst of a betting scam, where fast bowlers Amir and Asif are alleged to have bowled pre-arranged no-balls in the Lord''s Test against England.

The tabloid named four Pakistani players and three others of being involved in a spot-fixing racket, and alleged that a Pakistani businessman Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl no-balls and wides in the series and in the Lords test.

“My brother is innocent. He has been trapped in an international conspiracy to defame our cricket team and country,” said Mohammad Ijaz, the elder brother of Amir.

“Anybody can bowl a no ball at any time. I can give an oath on behalf of Amir that he is innocent,” said Ijaz, adding that his brother was worried when he spoke to him on the telephone from London on Sunday.

“He is tense and worried. He told me he has nothing to do with this scandal. He has been set up because he was performing well,” he said.

“We know him and he knows that the country''s respect is dearest to us. We love our country more than his career,” Ijaz added.