The fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's is in the centre of a police investigation into spot-fixing, after a 35-year-old man was arrested following allegedly being caught offering to bribe Pakistan's bowlers to bowl no-balls on demand.
According to a report within the Information from the World, Mazher Majeed accepted £150,000 to arrange a fix involving Pakistan's new-ball bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, whom he allegedly asked to bowl no-balls at particular moments of the match. The paper also alleges that the group captain, Salman Butt, and also the wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, are involved, together with three other unnamed cricketers.
Cricinfo understands from a source near to the investigation that a sum of £25,000 was found within the room of 1 from the Pakistan players, with further sums of £3000-4000 discovered on two other players. The source also confirmed that Mazher was recognized towards the group, but in an informal capacity, and added that they fully expected to resume the Lord's Check on Sunday morning.
In a video secretly recorded during the NOTW investigation, a man alleged to be Mazher is clearly heard predicting that Amir would bowl the first over of the England innings, and that he would deliver a no-ball from the very first ball from the third over - which as Cricinfo's ball-by-ball commentary noted: "was an enormous no-ball, good half a metre more than the line." The guy also appeared to correctly predict a no-ball in the sixth ball of the tenth more than, bowled this time by Asif.
A Scotland Yard spokeman mentioned: "Following info received in the Information from the Globe we have today [Saturday, August 28] arrested a 35-year old guy on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers."
Pakistan's team manager Yawar Saeed confirmed to Sky News that the allegations were being investigated, with police turning up at the team hotel in Swiss Cottage at 7.30pm, shortly after the near of an eventful 3rd day of the Lord's Test, in which Pakistan had been left on the brink of defeat after losing 14 wickets within the day.
Based on Sky News reporters outside the group hotel, police officers had been seen leaving the creating with two bags at around 11pm, although an unidentified man in a Pakistan training top was understood to have been taken away in an unmarked police car from the back from the building, although the team manager denied that any arrests had been made within the squad.
Even allowing for their disastrous on-field performance, Pakistan left Lord's with unusual haste following the 3rd day's play, with the group bus departing barely 20 minutes following the near of play, prior to any member from the squad had taken part in the mandatory post-match press conference.