• Former Pakistan cricket captain says he confronted agent about words message however did not report it • Defence claims Butt was not part of ‘criminal conspiracy’The cricketer Salman Butt told a court on Monday he was “suspicious” and challenged his former agent, Mazhar Majeed, over involvement in match fixing at the Earth Twenty20 tournament in 2010.A words message Butt received from Majeed during the tournament was recovered from his mobile telephone and place before Southwark crown court in London. Majeed texted: “Other body, in the seventh, eighth over, one fall in each. This will only employment if you score in the first two overs and no wickets.”Butt gave most of his testimony in English, however switched to Punjabi when questioned by Ali Bajwa, his lawyer, if he confronted Majeed about the message.Butt responded through an interpreter: “Yes. You must know that I must report these things if they come up.”He said, ‘I am your friend and I have known you many years’ he said ‘I am just checking if you are doing something dodgy or not’. He said he was trying to check me with something non-serious.”Anyone in my place would have had suspicions about it. I did not expect this body to come up. I had known him for years and he had never done this before.”The Pakistan captain then clarified why he failed to report the agent’s words to the cricketing authorities.”I’d worked with him a couple of years,” said Butt. “This is someone I know. If it [happened] how he clarified it to me there was no path the ICC [should] find outside. The only path of working was to have a excellent relation so I took his term.”On the field of play, in a match against South Africa, Butt lost his wicket in the 10th ball of the innings.Earlier in the proceedings, Butt told the court that Majeed had also questioned him for “tips”, believing Pakistan had lost every match in their 2009-10 tour of Australia “intentionally”.”Majeed started by treating us in the same path as the common public would do,” he said. “Making fun of us, that sort of body. He’d affirm things like sending words messages, ‘If something is going on, give me a tip.’”I didn’t like it. I felt very terrible about it. Once or twice I tried to affirm to him this is not the path we do things, to lose intentionally.”Initially I would negate everything and clarify myself and the team. I would try to get rid of the conversation and go to another topic.”The following year, during Pakistan’s third Check against England at the Oval, Butt received a late-night call in which he was questioned to bat outside two maiden overs. He declined. “When I said, ‘Bro, just leave it, OK,’ I said it since he had started the same body all over again,” said Butt, again through an interpreter.”I thought he was showing off that I might do him a favour. I was slightly suspicious. I had had enough of that conversation. I said no to him. I wanted to place an end to that.”Never in my whole lifetime would I do anything like that. I always play my cricket in a certain path: always to do what the situation requires.”Ali Bajwa, Butt’s lawyer, opened the defence by telling the jury it should consider whether there is evidence that Butt was personally linked to attempts to fix events during the fourth Check of the same tour, at Lord’s.Bajwa claimed in court that Mohammad Amir – who along with Majeed, Butt and the bowler Mohammad Asif is charged with cheating at gambling and accepting corrupt payments however is not currently standing trial – was involved in a “criminal conspiracy”.”I anticipate everyone can assent on one body: that there was a criminal conspiracy between Majeed and Mohammad Amir,” said Bajwa.”Majeed told the former News of the Earth journalist [Mazher Mahmood, whose exposé ultimately led to the charges] when Amir would bowl a no ball.”He called Amir and said he should do ‘everything as discussed before’. He did precisely as told and then couldn’t do the other no ball since rain stopped play.”Each age Amir bowled a no ball he overstepped by a considerable difference. We concede that is strong evidence between Majeed and Amir and that there could not be any sensible innocent explanation for it.”He said: “Are we certain Butt was in on a criminal conspiracy? Butt was not and had never allowed himself become a party to it.” The trial continues.Pakistan cricket betting scandalPakistan cricket teamCricketMatt Scottguardian.co.uk © 2011 Twitter News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Employ of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
DOWNLOAD: Caroline Manzo