Don't think ICC would remove suspensions on Butt, Amir: Zia

Karachi:

Former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Tauqir Zia, believes that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is in no mood to lift the provisional suspensions imposed on Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir.

The two players attended a nearly eight-and-half-hour-long hearing at the ICC headquarters in Dubai today, where their appeals have been taken up by Michael Beloff Q C, head of ICC's code of conduct commission.

The hearing will continue on Sunday and a decision is expected on whether the independent tribunal of the ICC will reject the appeals or remove the suspensions.

Zia, who was chairman from 1999 to 2003, believed that the suspensions would not be removed.

"I don't think the suspensions would be removed because it will than weaken the entire allegations of spot fixing against our players who can then also file claims for damages from the ICC for the money they have lost during the time they have remained suspended," he said.

He pointed out that the ICC legal team must have prepared a list of allegations and charges against Butt and Amir for the hearing.

"Frankly speaking I don't see these suspensions being removed at this hearing," he added.

Well-informed sources said the legal team of the ICC had indeed submitted a detailed list of charges against the two players at the hearing in a bid to justify the suspensions imposed on them on September 2.

Khalid Ranjha, who is representing Butt in the hearing, refused to comment on the day's proceedings as it was still on.

"It is early to say anything at this time because the hearing continues tomorrow," the former attorney general of Pakistan said.

Sources said the ICC legal experts, representing the anti-corruption and security unit, had tried to convince the tribunal head at the hearing that the two players had indeed clearly violated several clauses of the anti-corruption code, which led to the ICC imposing the suspensions on them.

Former Pakistan captain, Rashid Latif, hoped the suspensions would be removed but felt that everything would depend on how well their lawyers had prepared their appeals.

"No one is certain what will happen but the fact that the hearing lasted for eight hours and continues tomorrow indicates legal experts of both sides have got strong cases and arguments to show to the tribunal head," Latif said.

The PCB has not supported the suspended players in anyway and they are covering expenses of the appeals cases themselves.

"In this instance we are neither supporting them financially, legally or morally, they are fighting the case themselves," a legal advisor of the board said.