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Saturday, December 4, 2010

ICC chief Haroon Lorgat wants spot-fixing decision


ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat
International Cricket Council chief Haroon Lorgat will be "disappointed" if a tribunal finds the Pakistan players accused of spot-fixing not guilty.
Batsman Salman Butt, as well as bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, are under investigation for allegations made during Pakistan's tour of England.
An independent tribunal will decide the fate of the trio in 6-11 January 2011.
"We need to send out a strong message and that is part of what we want to achieve," Lorgat told the BBC.
Butt, who was Test captain during the summer tour of England, Amir and Asif were questioned by British police following allegations published in the News of the World newspaper about the final Test against England at Lord's.
It was claimed Asif and Amir deliberately bowled no-balls at pre-arranged times during the Test, with Butt also said to be involved, in return for money from a bookmaker's "middle man".
They were provisionally suspended and charged by the ICC, and were also questioned by Scotland Yard detectives over the allegations.
The Metropolitan Police has provided a further file of evidence to the crown prosecution service to help them decide whether or not to lay criminal charges against the trio.
Butt and Amir later lost their appeals to the ICC over the provisional bans, while Asif withdrew his appeal.
Michael Beloff QC, the man who chaired the Code of Conduct Commission that rejected those appeals, will chair January's full hearing against the trio along with fellow code of conduct commissioners Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Kenya's Sharad Rao.
"I am quite satisfied with the three judges' we have managed to secure," said Lorgat.
"We've worked hard at collecting all the evidence that we would require to make the charges stand.
"I'm confident that our guys have worked very hard in ensuring they have got a case they can present which should stand the test of scrutiny."
Lorgat added that if found guilty the trio will be dealt with firmly but fairly and revealed they were more than entitled to appeal any ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"We would want to be proportional but at the same time we do not want to show any leniency," Lorgat told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"These are severe issues and integrity of the game is absolutely fundamental and we would not want to tolerate any of that in the sport.
Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif"My understanding is that any matter that we decide on in a disciplinary process is always open to contest in the Court of Arbitration for Sport."
Lorgat also admitted to being pleased at the measures being put in place by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and ICC members to rid the game of corruption.
"I am confident the [anti-corruption] steps that have been taken in recent months and weeks and the task team we have in place is working exceptionally well," said Lorgat.
"The PCB are now determined to put in place all of the procedures and processes necessary to ensure from the bottom up they have a system in place that will educate their players that will prevent the sort of issues we do not want within the game.
"Also there was an important step that we decided as a board on 21 November that every single member will domestically install an anti-corruption code that will mirror that of the ICC."

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