Mohammad Asif ready to appeal ICC ban
31 August, 2012
Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif said on Thursday that he would pursue an appeal against a seven-year ban imposed by ICC on him over the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.
Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif said on Thursday that he would pursue an appeal against a seven-year ban imposed by ICC on him over the 2010 spot-fixing scandal. The 29-year-old was jailed by a London court in November last year after being found guilty of conspiring to cheat and conspiring to accept corrupt payments over throwing deliberated no-balls during the 2010 Lord's Test against England. Team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Aamer have also been released after being sent to prison in the same case. The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned the trio from playing all forms of cricket for minimum five years. Asif's seven year sanction includes a two-year suspended portion. Asif said his appeal in the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had been put on hold due to the criminal proceedings against him in England. “I had filed the appeal when I was banned by the ICC (in February 2011) and now I have decided to pursue my appeal through my counsel Ravi Gill and hope that a date is given to me very soon,” Asif told a foreign news agency from London. Asif said he was practising hard and played a club match in England on Monday, taking a hat-trick and winning the man-of-the-match award, and was keen to resume his international career. “I hope that I will get a fair result from the CAS and then hopefully able to revive my career,” said Asif, who has yet to return home since being released from prison in May. “If I don't get an early date then I will return to Pakistan and whenever I get a date then I will go to Switzerland. It has been a tough period, without cricket and away from home but I am sure its going to be over soon,” said Asif. Asif has taken 106 wickets in 23 Tests and 46 ODI wickets in 38 matches. He also played 11 Twenty20s for Pakistan, taking 13 wickets. End. |
