Cricket plunged into crisis after match-fixing arrest

London/Islamabad: The world of cricket plunged into another match-fixing crisis as the Metropolitan Police arrested London-based Mazhar Majid who allegedly lured Pakistani fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif to deliver three blatant no-balls in the ongoing Lord's Test against England.

In a sting operation conducted by The News of the World, it was revealed that Mazhar received some £150,000 (Dh854,980) from the tabloid and promised the undercover reporter that the fast bowlers will bowl no-balls at the agreed moment during the game.

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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed his disappointment over the alleged betting scam. "The president ... has directed that he should be kept posted about the developments as to what happened and what is the status of any inquiry that may have been ordered or held in London," his spokesman said.

On the basis of video evidence given by the tabloid, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation. Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed that police had questioned him and several players, including Salman Butt, Asif, Aamir and Kamran Akmal.

Yawar denied reports that the officers had confiscated mobile phones and laptops or that they had found money stashed in players' rooms.

In a statement, the International Cricket Council confirmed that the Metropolitan Police informed it that "a 35-year-old man has been arrested on Saturday on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers".