Spot-fixing: Pakistani match-fixers pushed behind bars

Three Pakistan cricketers-Salman Butt, Mohd Asif and Mohd Amir-have been handed jail terms for their involvement in spot-fixing controversy that rocked cricket world in August last year.

This is the first instance of cricketers being jailed for match-fixing offence even though a number of cricketers, including the former India captain Mohd Azharuddin, South African skipper Hansy Cronje, former Pakistan captain Salim Malik were all found guilty of being involved in match-fixing.

Former captain Salman Butt got 2 years and 6 months imprisonment while Asif has been jailed for an year.

Another offender Mohd Amir, 19, would be detained for six months for his involvement in the fixing saga. He was originally sentenced to 6 months' imprisonment but had to revise the term to 6 months of detainment at a juvenile offenders' institution.

Bookie Mazhar Majeed has been given 2 years and 8 months jail term by the Southwark Crown

While giving the verdict Judge Jeremy Cook said that the offences were so severe that only imprisonment would suffice.

The three players were also ordered to pay up the prosecution cost of the case. While Butt was asked to fork out 30,937 pounds, Asif and Amir were told to pay 8,120 and 9,389 pounds respectively.

"Now, when people look back at a surprising event in a game or a surprising result or ever in the future there are surprising results, followers of the game who have paid to watch cricket or who have watched cricket on TV will wonder whether there has been a fix or what they have watched was natural," the judge said.

The trio entered the courtroom amid high drama as mediapersons jostled with laymen for seats in what was perhaps the biggest criminal trial involving cricketers and their sentencing ends a year of high drama which has left Pakistan cricket embarrassed.

Butt and Asif were accused of spot-fixing following the infamous Lord’s Test against England in 2010 where they conspired with a bookmaker Mazhar Majeed and fast-bowler Mohammad Amir to bowl no-balls at pre-determined times.

Butt was banned for 10 years, five of which suspended, Asif for seven years, while Aamir was suspended for five years by the Pakistan Cricket Board in earlier disciplinary action against the trio.