London, Oct 6(ANI): Banned Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were caught red-handed conspiring to fix a Test at Lords in a 150,000-pound gambling scam, a court in England has been told.
In February, British prosecutors had "authorised charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and also conspiracy to cheat" against the three Pakistani players implicated in the spot-fixing scandal as well as alleged bookmaker Mazhar Majeed.
Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee QC told the Southwark Crown Court that the defendants were deeply involved in 'rampant corruption' at the heart of the sport, the Daily Mail reports.
He said that the men betrayed millions of fans to cash in on a betting industry worth up to 33billion pounds a year on the Asian sub-continent alone.
According to the report, as many as six Pakistani players were involved in the scam which spanned Pakistan, India, Dubai and Britain, the jury heard.
Jafferjee told the court that the sums gambled overseas were 'breathtaking' and that the men were motivated purely by greed.
"This case reveals a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket, with the key players being members of the Pakistan cricket team," he said.
"There are vast amounts of money to be made in any betting activity if the results are known in advance, and all of that was at the expense of the integrity of the game," he added.
Butt, 26, is accused of orchestrating the conspiracy with good friend and agent Majeed, 36, who then owned Croydon Athletic Football Club, the report said.
Prosecutors claim that the two men told Pakistani bowlers- Asif, 29, and Amir, 19- to bowl three no-balls at pre-arranged stages of the final Test at Lords.
But the damning deals and cash hand-outs were captured on hidden cameras used by reporter Mazhar Mahmood, famously known as the 'fake sheikh', the reoprt added.
The men face up to seven years in prison if they are convicted of corruption and cheating. (ANI)
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