Pakistan Cricket Board to frame new anti-corruption laws

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Zaka Ashraf has said that the board would frame new anti-corruption laws for thwarting the menace of match-fixing and spot-fixing.

Ashraf said that a vigilance wing was being set up, which would ensure players’ security and eradication of corruption.

The PCB chief further said that talks are underway with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for holding international cricket in Pakistan. 

Earlier, this month, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, were jailed by London's Southwark Crown Court for involvement in a spot-fixing scam during the 2010 Lord’s Test against England.

Butt was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail, Asif for a year, while Amir for six months.

The spot-fixing controversy centres on allegations that Butt, Asif and Amir took bribes from Mazhar Majeed to deliberately under-perform at certain times in the match.

Undercover reporters from News of the World, led by Mazher Mahmood, had secretly video-taped Majeed accepting money and informing the reporters that Asif and Amir would deliberately bowl no-balls at specific points in an over.

This information could have been used by gamblers to place bets.