Pakistan’s trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer — at the centre of match-fixing allegations — left here for London on Wednesday for what are seen as a series of crucial meetings with diplomatic and Pakistan Cricket Board officials on Thursday.
Aamir smiled as he got into a car parked in front of their hotel here and Butt also looked relaxed. They were followed by Asif and the three left here for London at around 11.00 a.m.
Their meetings were scheduled to be held on Wednesday but were pushed to Thursday, Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed revealed. He did not give any reason for the delay.
It effectively rules out the participation of the three players in Pakistan’s only warm-up match against Somerset at the County Ground in Taunton on Thursday, before the one-day series against England.
Butt, Pakistan’s Test captain, and fast bowlers Asif and Aamir are at the centre of a spot-fixing scandal that was triggered by a few no-balls bowled by the pacers during last week’s fourth and final Test between Pakistan and England at Lord’s.
While the three players left for London, their teammates held their second training session in the lead up to the series that will begin with a Twenty20 international in Cardiff on Sunday.
