Cricketers at the centre of spot-fixing allegations return home to Pakistan

THREE cricketers at the centre of spot-fixing allegations have returned home to Pakistan.

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were allowed to fly back after being questioned but not charged by police.

The three men have been charged under the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Code and are currently suspended by their sport's world governing body.

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The corruption controversy has engulfed the Pakistan cricket team during their tour of England. Businessman Mazhar Majeed is accused of accepting 150,000 to arrange for Butt, Asif and Amir to deliberately bowl no-balls during the fourth Test at Lord's. All three deny any wrongdoing. Majeed has also been arrested and released on bail without charge.

The cricketers were left out of the squad for the two Twenty20 internationals at Cardiff and for the five-match one-day series, which began yesterday in Chester-le-Street, prior to the ICC provisionally suspending them. On Thursday, it was revealed that a fourth player, bowler Wahab Riaz, will be questioned by police on Tuesday in relation to the allegations of corruption.

Police said the three men had agreed to return to assist the inquiry in "due course".

The trio's solicitors, Addleshaw Goddard, released a statement yesterday, on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the players.

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It read: "The Metropolitan Police has been notified that Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt will return to Pakistan later this morning. The players are looking forward to being reunited with their families. They remain available to co-operate fully with the police investigation and have each given undertakings to return to the UK if required to do so."

The statement also denied reports that Asif will seek asylum in the UK.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed that a separate inquiry into the

controversy will be held in Pakistan once the police and ICC investigations are concluded.