Pakistan's Butt and Asif to contest spot-fixing ban

The appeals of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif against their bans for involvement in spot-fixing will be heard this week at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Geneva.

Both players set off for Switzerland on Tuesday to attend the appeal hearing which will be chaired by conflict resolution professional Graeme Mew who is a practicing lawyer.

"I have pleaded my innocence all along these last two years which have been terrible for me and my family," Butt told reporters.

"I hope that the appeal hearing brings good news for me. I want this stigma removed from my name and the ban overturned," he added.

Butt, who captained Pakistan on their tour of England in 2010, and team mates Asif and Mohammad Aamir were banned by an anti-corruption tribunal of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2011 for their roles in spot-fixing.

A crown court also found them guilty and gave them jail sentences for their actions during the fourth test between Pakistan and England at Lord's in 2010.

Butt and Asif have pleaded their innocence but the 19-year old Aamir decided against appealing to CAS.

 

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