CRICKET SCAM SENTENCES HANDED DOWN

BBC News:

3 November 2011 Last updated at 10:50
Pakistan cricketers and agent jailed for betting scam

Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has been jailed for 30 months for his part in the conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls in last year's Test match against England.

Former world number two Test bowler Mohammad Asif was jailed for one year and bowler Mohammad Amir has been sentenced to six months.

Cricket agent Mazhar Majeed was jailed for two years and eight months.

The BBC's James Pearce is tweeting live from Southwark Crown Court in London.

The judge told all the players they would be released on licence half way through their sentences if they behaved.

I plead total ignorance of the whole 'no balls' scandal on the grounds of being in a virtually cricket-free zone....

bb1 wrote: I plead total ignorance of the whole 'no balls' scandal on the grounds of being in a virtually cricket-free zone....

It was a betting scam, bonny, that was outed by the now defunct NOTW who employed an undercover reporter to get the evidence from the agent using a secret camera. The two older men, age range 27-29 should have known better, the bowler, only a teenager was, I suspect pulled into the scam without realising what was really going on. Well, they now have no further careers in cricket and will not enjoy time in prison - after all, many inmates of the UK jails are keen cricket fans. But it seems there are similar scams going on, or have in the past, in other cricketing nations. LL

bb1 wrote: I plead total ignorance of the whole 'no balls' scandal on the grounds of being in a virtually cricket-free zone....

I get Cricket forced on me by virtue of Radio 4 Long Wave. They cheated. Definitely not Cricket.

However, I have to add that the Fashion Shows and all they Tesco's plastic bags blowing around the pitch, followed by Seagulls, are infinitely more interesting than the actual Cricket.