Butt denies knowledge of cricket fixing scam

LONDON, (Reuters) – Pakistan’s former Test cricket  captain found himself accused of spot-fixing only after a former  agent and friend “grossly abused” his trust, a court heard today.
Salman Butt, 27, was named by his agent Mazhar Majeed, 36,  as one of several players allegedly involved in a gambling scam  to rig specific incidents in games during last year’s tour of  England, London’s Southwark Crown Court was told.
However, Ali Bajwa, defending the cricketer, said: “We say  Salman Butt only finds himself here on trial accused of these  charges because of the words of his former friend and agent,  Mazhar Majeed.
Prosecutors allege that Majeed conspired with Butt and fast  bowlers Mohammad Amir, 19, and Mohammad Asif, 28, to deliver  three deliberate no-balls during last August’s Lord’s Test  between Pakistan and England, in return for bribes.
Bajwa said Butt told police in interview that the fact that  the no-balls were bowled exactly when Majeed said they would be  was a “freakish coincidence,” the Press Association reported.
He told the court: “That is not, and has never been, part of  Mr Butt’s defence.
Butt and Asif, who are standing trial, deny conspiracy to  cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.
The court has heard that an undercover reporter  investigating cricket match-fixing paid Majeed 150,000 pounds  ($237,000)in cash as part of an arrangement to rig parts of  games.
Bajwa told the jury: “I anticipate that everyone in this  case will agree that there was at the very least a criminal  conspiracy between Mazhar Majeed and Mohammad Amir…
“It is Salman Butt’s case that he did not know of the  existence of a conspiracy to bowl no-balls at Lord’s and he  would never have allowed himself to become party to it.”
Butt, who normally appears as an opening batsman, began  playing cricket when he was about 12 and made his first-class  debut for a domestic Pakistan team by the time he was 15.
He played his first Test match for Pakistan against  Bangladesh in 2003.
Speaking of his pride at being selected for the national  side, he said: “To represent Pakistan was the greatest honour of  my life.”
Explaining why police found nine mobile phone Sim cards in  his hotel room after the scandal broke, Butt said  it was cheaper to buy local phone cards when he was on tour  overseas.
The cricketer also said he brought about $12,000 in cash  with him to England last year with the aim of buying a special  edition-watch costing around 8,000 pounds.  ($1 = 0.633 British Pounds)