'The cash was not much, around 30,000 pounds and that is not a big amount when you are in a long tour,' he said.
Pakistan high commissioner in the United Kingdom Wajid Shamsul Hasan today admitted that cash was recovered by the police from hotel rooms of the Pakistan cricketers, whose performance are being probed into in the wake of a spot-fixing scandal.
"The cash was not much, around 30,000 pounds and that is not a big amount when you are in a long tour. Salman Butt's sister is getting married he could be using the money for shopping. But his mother fell ill so she could not come," Hasan said.
The envoy felt accepted that the money was given to the players - Butt and pacer duo of Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif - by the alleged bookie Mazhar Majeed.
"Definitely there was money given to them (players) by Majeed. Majeed was agent of these players and that's the connection between him and the players. I did not know whether he had any links with Indian bookies or Bombay bookies," Hasan said.
"But the only question is whether they (players) declared it or not, that should be investigated," he added.
Asked about the police investigation, Hasan said that he did not have much knowledge about the progress of the probe.
"I have not talked to the police. I don't know what evidence they have got, they have not informed us so far. But I hope the investigators take a lenient view of the fact that they (players) are from a poor background and not very educated," he said.
Pakistan cricket found itself in a crisis after British tabloid The News of the World broke the story about an alleged nexus between three players - captain Salman Butt and pacer duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir - and Majeed.
"Majeed, I believe, was involved with some of the bookies. He was constantly in touch with some of them and had telephonic exchanges which was discovered," Hasan said.
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