Explosive claims about corruption in the Pakistan cricket team stunned a London courtroom on Wednesday as the three guilty players and their agent spoke out on each other's roles as they awaited their sentence.
Judge Jeremy Cooke was due to pass sentence on Thursday on Pakistan's former Test captain Salman Butt, fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, plus their agent Mazhar Majeed, whose guilty plea was reported on Wednesday.
As the four stood in the dock, their lawyers sent claims and counter-claims flying across the packed Court 4 at Southwark Crown Court. Butt, 27, watched as his lawyer said he admitted his career was over and he stood to lose his family.
The lawyer for Majeed, 36, pleaded in mitigation — a submission which included a string of extraordinary claims about what was going on within the Pakistan team.
Accepting that his client was facing jail, he told the court of the agent's frustration at the “lies” the jury had heard from the defendants, the BBC reported. The lawyer said Butt had approached Majeed in 2009 to get involved in fixing and that Butt and another player, who is not among the three in the dock, had taken him out for a meal in March 2010 to push him into fixing.
He said Majeed was introduced to a mysterious bookmaker called Sanjay, who was running the racket.
Majeed claimed that of the £150,000 he received from an undercover newspaper reporter, Asif got £65,000 and Butt £10,000.
The judge then heard that Asif was given such a huge amount to keep him from joining another fixing racket.
Plea dismissed
Cooke also dismissed claims that Amir was only involved in one episode of spot-fixing.
He said that text messages suggested that the talented youngster was also implicated in fixing during the preceding Test at The Oval.
Amir claimed he was being leant upon and feared for his future in the national side if he did not take part in the conspiracy.
