By IANS,
New Delhi : International Cricket Council (ICC) president Sharad Pawar said Sunday that tainted Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Aamer, have not been punished by the world body for their alleged involvement in spot-fixing and they will be given a chance to present their case.
Pawar’s comments come a day after Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Britain Wajid Shamsul Hasan attacked the ICC saying that world body has violated the general principle of law – ‘innocent until proven guilty.’
“We have not punished anybody yet. Under the ICC anti-corruption rules suspected players needed to be notified and an investigation needed to be conducted. We have to send a notice to that particular player but that notice is not a final decision. It is a means of giving him (player) an opportunity to explain his position,” Pawar was quoted as saying by Times Now.
“This is not an action (the suspension), this is a sort of notice to them and an opportunity to explain. If he is not guilty then certainly he has the right to put his views,” he said.
Pawar said the ICC would appoint an independent commissioner to look into the charges and any action would be taken on recommendation of the appointed commissioner.
The players have a right to contest this provisional suspension and a further opportunity to defend the charges at a full hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal in accordance with Article 5 of the code.