12 Oct 2011

Pakistanis were ready for fix, court told

12:33 pm on 12 October 2011

A London court has heard that Pakistan cricketers were ready to throw one-day internationals and Twenty20s in a bid to undermine then-captain Shahid Afridi and make a lot of money.

Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, told an undercover reporter last year that the players wanted Afridi replaced by then-Test captain Salman Butt and were prepared to fix matches to do it.

The court also heard how a mystery Indian contact offered the agent $1.2 million NZ dollars to ensure Pakistan lost a Test match against England.

The jury in the trial of Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif saw video of meetings between Majeed and a News of the World reporter.

Prosecutors allege Butt and Asif agreed for no-balls to be bowled as part of a spot-fixing betting scam.

The two players have pleaded not guilty to the charges.