30 Oct 2012

Banned Pakistan cricketer criticises ICC

8:48 am on 30 October 2012

Pakistan's banned pace-bowler Mohammad Asif has criticised the International Cricket Council over his spot-fix suspension and has pleaded his innocence ahead of an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Asif told reporters that a hearing against his minimum five-year ban will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in February and one of the main arguments of his defence will be the fact the ICC imposed the suspension before his case went to a criminal court.

He was found guilty in a London court and sentenced to prison, where he served half a one-year term before being released in May.

The 29-year old, who played 23 tests and 38 one-day internationals, was caught up in a spot-fixing scandal in 2010 while touring England with the Pakistan team.

An independent tribunal set up by the ICC banned him and two other players, Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir for a minimum of five years in February 2011 before the trio were found guilty in court and jailed in November last year.