Pakistan's top crime investigative agency will send a team to Britain this week to look at corruption allegations against some of the country's cricket players, a senior official said today.
Investigations by British police and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are already under way into a newspaper report alleging three Pakistan players had been bribed to fix incidents in last week's fourth test against England.
London police confiscated the mobile phones of test captain Salman Butt as well as pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, and the trio - plus wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal - were questioned at the team's hotel.
A senior official at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Karachi told Reuters the three-member team was likely to leave for London tomorrow and planned to meet British police and players.
President Asif Ali Zardari, who is the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has sought reports from Pakistani officials in London, according to his official spokesman.
"The President is in touch with the High Commissioner in London and has asked for reports on the issue," Farhatullah Babar told Reuters.
The Pakistan team arrived in Taunton in west England yesterday to play a warm-up game for two Twenty20 internationals and a five-match one-day series against England, which starts on Sunday.
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said the players being investigated would not be suspended without proof of wrongdoing, however. "There is a case going on over here with Scotland Yard," Ijaz told website cricinfo.com.
"This is only an allegation. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken."
The ICC's anti-corruption unit has been asked to submit a report on its investigation within the next three days, the world governing body's president Sharad Pawar said yesterday.
"We at the ICC are waiting for definite information from the PCB and our own anti-corruption unit. We hope to get something in the next two to three days' time and that information would lead to appropriate action, if required," he said.
Reuters