Butt, Amir plea rejected

Dubai: Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir will remain provisionally suspended for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing.

Their plea to have their suspension lifted was rejected by the International Cricket Council (ICC) following a two-day hearing which concluded here yesterday.

The duo will now have to appear before an independent anti-corruption tribunal which will study the charges and give their verdict on whether the players are guilty or not. Michael Beloff, QC, the head of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, who made the decision after the hearing, remarked: "Butt and Amir had appealed against the suspension imposed on them by the ICC on September 2 for various breaches of the code of conduct.

"Having considered every aspect of the case, I dismiss their appeals and they remain suspended," Beloff said.

Eight-hour session

Beloff took the decision after the hearing which started on Saturday morning and continued for nearly eight hours at the cricket headquarters.

The two players, along with Mohammad Asif, were provisionally suspended by the ICC after the British tabloid News of the World exposed their alleged involvement in spot- fixing during the series against England in August. Asif chose not to challenge his suspension.

The ICC issued a statement after the hearing which clearly stated that: "As such, the players remain provisionally suspended from all cricket pending the outcome of the independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal which will hear their disciplinary cases in due course."

The Pakistan cricket team which had lost the two Twenty20 matches and the first one-dayer to South Africa in Abu Dhabi were hoping that the ban would be lifted, enabling the players to take part in the ongoing series.

Butt had attended the hearing with his lawyers Khalid Ranjha, a former law minister, and Aftab Gul, a former Pakistan player, while Amir attended with his lawyer Shahid Karim.

Beloff, speaking to reporters before leaving the ICC headquarters, also said: "The players have denied the charges, but they will remain suspended before a Code of Conduct commission is formed to hear the case. It was not up to me to decide whether they committed any crime, the commission will establish their guilt and if they are found guilty then they will be given punishment as per the ICC Code of Conduct."

Lifetime ban

Depending on the severity of their involvement in spot-fixing, they can even receive a lifetime ban.

However, 18-year-old Amir, considering his age, may escape with a lighter punishment even if he is found guilty.

Butt's lawyer Ranjha said: "The decision has left us unhappy but the hearing was fair and thorough. We will decide our course of action soon."