Salman Butt 'agreed to bat out maiden over': Court

 

 “Former cricket captain Salman Butt agreed to score no runs in an over during a crucial game against England as part of a betting scam, a court heard on Thursday. Butt, 26, was allegedly taped confirming that he would deliberately bat out a maiden over on the final day of last year's Oval Test match, which was a chance for his side to win their first game of the series.
His London-based sports agent, Mazhar Majeed, 36, discussed the arrangement with the cricketer by phone while agreeing a deal with an undercover journalist posing as a rich Indian businessman who had paid 10,000 pounds ($15,400) to fix part of the match, Southwark Crown Court heard. The Press Association reported that Majeed assured the journalist, Mazher Mahmood, of the News of the World that Butt would score no runs in his first full over at the Oval the next day, August 21 last year. When the journalist pointed out that a maiden over could happen ordinarily, the agent rang the cricketer on speaker phone to prove he was involved in the fixing scam, the court heard. Their alleged conversation, which was recorded by the reporter, was read to the jury.