Sydney, Feb 7(ANI): The three Pakistan cricketers who have been banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) over spot-fixing charges were seedy and greedy, and would not be missed by the world, cricket columnist Peter Roebuck has claimed.
"At first sight the sentences dished out to Pakistanis Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir seem unduly lenient. Butt, the captain of the team at the time of the rigging offences, has been banned for 10 years with five of them suspended. He is 26 and could be back playing for his country at 31," Roebuck said in his syndicated column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Asif was sidelined for seven years with two suspended so the 33-year-old paceman's career is over. Amir, 18, was banned for five years and can redeem himself."
"Cricket needed to restore its integrity. Other sports likewise are trying to clean up their acts. But the same applies elsewhere. Greed is the problem. Sport is merely one of its hunting grounds," he added.
Roebuck further said that other proceedings are under way against the culprits, so the independent commission felt that publishing the reasons behind its verdicts might be prejudicial.
"Of course the verdict does not end the matter - The Crown Prosecution Service in England has laid corruption charges and the case is due to come to court next month," Roebuck wrote.
"Regardless they are finished as cricketers. It remains only for them to follow in the footsteps of previous fixers by becoming members of parliament, coaches, TV commentators or film stars," he added.
The independent tribunal, chaired by Michael Beloff, found the cricketers guilty of charges relating to spot-fixing in the Lord's Test match between England and Pakistan played in August last year.
In addition, Butt was also found guilty of breaching the ICC anti-corruption code by failing to report an approach made to him by British-based bookmaker Mazhar Majeed to engage in corrupt activity during The Oval Test match earlier in the same month.
Butt was given a 10-year ban from any involvement in cricketing activities, five years of which were suspended on condition that, throughout that period, he commits no further breach of the code and that he participates, under the auspices of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in a programme of anti-corruption education.
Asif was given a seven-year ban from any involvement in cricketing activities, two years of which are suspended on condition that, throughout that period, he commits no further breach of the Code and he participates under the auspices of the PCB in a programme of anti-corruption education.
Amir was given a five-year ban from any involvement in cricketing activities.In all cases, the commencement of each of the bans imposed against the players will be backdated to September 2, 2010, so to give credit for the period of provisional suspension already served. (ANI)
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