Amir claims he was forced into spot-fixing by Butt

Karachi:

In a shocking revelation, Mohammad Amir has informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he was lured and dragged into spot fixing by suspended Test skipper Salman Butt.

The young left-arm pacer is presently serving suspension by the ICC for his alleged involvement in spot fixing during the fourth Test against England at Lord's last month, along with Butt and Mohammad Asif.

Sources in the PCB said that Amir had told chairman Ijaz Butt that he never wanted to be part of this "business" (spot fixing) but was forced into it by Butt and Asif. "Amir had gone to Butt and claimed he was innocent and a victim of the "seniors power lobby" in the team," a source told PTI.

Another source revealed that Amir, regarded as one of Pakistan cricket's most promising young talent, had told manager Yawar Saeed about the pressure being exerted on him by Butt.

"Amir's claim is that he just did what he was told to do. He is claiming innocence now and says he didn't even know Mazhar Majeed was introduced to him by Butt and Asif," the source said.

Quite a few former Test captains, and even Pakistan's former President, Pervez Musharraf, have urged the ICC to show leniency towards Amir, all of 18. But chief selector, Mohsin Khan said that he didn't agree with the viewpoint that Amir should be shown leniency because of his age.

"I don't buy this argument because if you can do something wrong at 18, you can keep on doing it later as well. If these three players are found guilty they should be punished, including Amir," Mohsin said.

The chief selector insisted that no cricketer was indispensable and there should be no compromise on discipline and commitment towards your team and country.

"Amir must be punished if he is guilty. I just hope that that these three are eventually cleared because they have already damaged the reputaion of Pakistan cricket and the country," Mohsin said.