Pakistan return to the fore in spot-fixing scandal
In 2011 the ICC became involved in the banning of cricketers for the first time, after a sting from British newspaper News of the World found that some Pakistani players had been spot-fixing in a Test match against England.
Before the bans of captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, the national boards had dealt with all punishments for cheating.
Now the ICC decided they could not stay out of it for any longer and stepped in to serve playing bans to the trio, which was later coupled with prison sentences for corruption.
Butt was banned for 10 years, Asif for seven, whilst the promising teenage sensation Amir was forced out of the game for five.
Suddenly spot-fixing – manipulating single deliveries rather than the overall match result – was the phrase on everyone’s lips and it was about to stay there a little longer.
In 2011, Pakistani spinner Danish Kaneria was given a life ban by both the ECB and PCB for spot-fixing during a County Championship game for Essex and his teammate Mervyn Westfield received a five-year suspension for the same crime.
Then in 2012, officials were brought into disrepute for the first time when Pakistani umpire Nadeem Ghauri was served a four-year ban for his involvement in spot-fixing.
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