PCB's inquiry meeting with tainted trio put back
The meeting of Pakistan's tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir with Pakistan Cricket Board and High Commission officials here has been put back, reports said on Wednesday.
Sky News and the Guardian claimed the trio will now miss Pakistan's practice match against Somerset starting on Thursday as that will clash with their meeting with PCB and High Commission officials at the High Commission here.
"The trio of captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif had been due to meet PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and the country's High Commissioner in London today. But it has emerged that the talks have been put back and now clash with the team's next fixture, which gets under way tomorrow," Sky News reported.
"Butt, Aamir and Asif are expected to attend a meeting in London on Thursday with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt, which would mean they miss their side's friendly match with Somerset that day," a report in the Guardian said.
"Legal advisers will also be present at the meeting, which is expected to result in them taking no further part in the tour, which includes two Twenty20 Internationals and a series of one-day matches," it said.
"On Saturday, Butt, Asif and Aamir handed over their mobile phones to detectives. The police also took away other items for examination including cash, laptops and documents. The players will be questioned by officers from the economic and specialist crime command before the weekend," the report said.
It is not known why the meeting has been put back but the players are set to be interrogated by Scotland Yard for the second time on Wednesday. They were first interrogated at their team hotel near Lord's here after their innings and 225 run loss to England in the fourth Test and their mobile phones were confiscated.
The Guardian report also said that the three tainted players will be questioned by ICC once the investigation by Scotland Yard is over. "Although PCB will continue to stress that the players are innocent until proven guilty, with ICC investigators yet to interview them in order to avoid prejudicing the parallel police inquiry, it is likely a form of words will be found to omit them from the rest of the tour," the report said.
"ECB and ICC had lobbied the PCB to omit the players from tomorrow's warm-up match as well as the Twenty20 and one-day internationals that follow. It is understood that their wish will be granted, guaranteeing the ICC some breathing space before deciding on its next move. With police set to re-interview the three players investigators from the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit will move quickly to follow suit," it said.
"The trio will be confronted with the allegations as well as separate evidence gathered by the ACSU, but it is by no means certain investigators will announce a definitive conclusion before Sunday's Twenty20 International," it added.
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