Pakistan's tainted trio to be quizzed by Scotland Yard

Pakistan's tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir will on Wednesday face another round of questioning from the Scotland Yard for their alleged involvement in the 'spot-fixing' scandal that has rocked international cricket even as England's Players' body demanded their ouster from the Twenty20 and One-Day International series.

The trio, which has been implicated in the scandal after a sting operation by a British tabloid, is set to be quizzed by the Scotland Yard for the second time but they are not in danger of being arrested, a Pakistan Cricket Board official said.

Their meeting with Pakistan High Commission officials in London has, however, been postponed to Thursday.

ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat will meet PCB chief Ijaz Butt as scheduled in London on Wednesday to discuss the scandal that has plunged the game into a crisis.

The trio will now miss Pakistan's practice match against Somerset starting on Thursday as that will clash with their meeting with PCB and High Commission officials at the High Commission in London.

"The trio of captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif had been due to meet PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and the country's High Commissioner in London today. But it has emerged that the talks have been put back and now clash with the team's next fixture, which gets underway tomorrow," Sky News reported.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed had on Tuesday said that the three would only face a PCB internal inquiry at the High Commission in London but it has now emerged that they will be questioned by Scotland Yard.

He said no player has been charged as yet nor any case registered against them and they are available for the forthcoming Twenty20 and one-day series.

"As it stands now, the players have only been questioned by Scotland Yard. No one has been charged neither has Scotland Yard found any incriminating evidence against any player," a PCB official said.

"We have hired a barrister to assist the players and will be present when they meet with Scotland Yard detectives today. The questioning is part of routine investigation but all the players who are being questioned are available for selection and play in the coming series," he added.

The Pakistan High Commission has also asked the Scotland Yard to provide it with a preliminary report on the investigations.

The investigations are still on but England's Professional Cricketers Association wants the three to be dropped immediately so that the remaining tour does not become a "sideshow" to the murky scandal.