ICC defers verdict on Pakistan spot-fixing

DOHA, Qatar: The International Cricket Council has deferred a decision until Feb. 5 on three Pakistan players accused of corruption in connection with the fixing scandal.

Former captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and 18-year-old Mohammad Amir were told of the ruling in a closed hearing late Tuesday in Doha. Then the head of the three-person tribunal led by Michael Beloff, chief of the ICC's code of conduct commission, briefed reporters.

The trio, who have repeatedly claimed they were innocent, were charged in September by the ICC with corruption stemming from allegations they accepted payments for bowling no-balls at prearranged times in a test against England in August at Lord's.

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