TAUNTON (September 03, 2010): The three cricketers accused of involvement in an illegal betting scam insisted on their innocence Thursday as they formally withdrew from the scandal-tainted tour of England. Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif vowed to clear their names in a meeting in London with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's ambassador to Britain.

LONDON (September 03, 2010): The International Cricket Council said Thursday it has provisionally suspended the three Pakistan players accused of involvement in a betting scam. In a statement on its website, the ICC said it had charged Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif with various offences under its anti-corruption code.

LAHORE (September 03, 2010): "A football match involves more than just the 22 players on the field and referee. Behind the scenes, a host of professionals, officials and volunteers work overtime to ensure everything goes smoothly. At the apex of a match organisational chart is the Match Commissioner - the key official who must make snap decisions, minor or major, knowing that it could have huge repercussions in the future."

ISLAMABAD (September 02, 2010): The Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt, has termed the investigation as 'strange', and part of 'preconceived conspiracy', as the raids on hotel rooms were conducted without prior approval of the ICC. In a letter to the Secretary General to the President, Salman Farooqi, and Secretary to the Prime Minister, a copy of which was also exclusively made available to Business Recorder.

TAUNTON (September 02, 2010): Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi said he was looking forward to getting back to cricket despite the "challenge" of leading a team engulfed in a spot-fixing scandal. Pakistan are due to play Somerset here Thursday in their first game since several members of the side were implicated in a betting scam.

LONDON (September 02, 2010): Kevin Pietersen has apologised for his furious reaction to England's decision to leave him out of the one-day squads to face Pakistan. Pietersen was axed from the five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches after a poor run for England in an attempt to give him time to rediscover his form during a loan spell with English county Surrey.

TAUNTON (September 02, 2010): Three Pakistan players embroiled in betting scam allegations headed to London on Wednesday for questioning which could lead to them being sent home in disgrace from the team's tour of England. Test captain Salman Butt plus bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif will miss Pakistan's match with county side Somerset in Taunton on Thursday, a warm-up match before the side's limited overs internationals against England.

LONDON (September 01, 2010): Two men and a woman have been arrested in Britain in connection with allegations that Pakistani cricket players were involved in a betting scam, customs officials and sources said Tuesday. "Three individuals were arrested on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering," said a statement from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, a government agency.

TAUNTON (September 01, 2010): Three Pakistan cricket players named in an alleged betting scam have been summoned from training in south-west England to meet top officials in London, the team manager said Tuesday. Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif have been called to a meeting with the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ijaz Butt, and the Pakistan high commissioner, Wajid Shamsul Hasan, on Wednesday, Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said.

KARACHI (September 01, 2010): The latest gambling allegations to hit Pakistani cricket have left observers to ponder why the country's players are so prone to get embroiled in financial sleaze. The embattled national team is caught up in match-fixing claims after British police arrested a man on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers on Sunday.