ICC asks PCB asks to 'drop tainted' players for ODI series against England

Sydney, Aug 31 : The International Cricket Council has asked that the Pakistan Cricket Board to remove skipper Salman Butt, fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal for the one-day series against England after their names surfaced in connection with a match fixing scandal.

The Pakistan team is in the midst of a betting scam, where fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are alleged to have bowled pre-arranged no-balls in the Lord’s Test, which England won by an innings and 225 runs on Sunday.

The “News of the World” tabloid has named four Pakistani players and three others of being involved in a spot-fixing racket.

The tabloid 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.

The PCB has reportedly been asked by ICC chairman Sharad Pawar to remove Butt, Asif, Amir and Akmal, in order to restore the credibility of the one-day series, The Telegraph reports.

The PCB, which has so far resisted pressure to take action against the players, will act once a report by ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit is completed during the next 48 hours, sources said.

It is believed the players have taken legal advice and the ICC is preparing a watertight case to avoid any future litigation, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Sources close to Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan one-day captain, suggested on Monday that he did not want players tainted by allegations of corruption in the team, and the reason he resigned from leading the Test side this summer, was partly due to the match-fixing culture existing within the squad.