By IANS,
London: The cricketing world Thursday welcomed the jail terms for tainted Pakistani players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, saying the punishments will serve as a deterrent for those who bring disrepute to the game.
Butt and Asif were jailed for 30 months and 12 months while 19-year-old Aamir, who pleaded guilty before the trial, was given a six-month sentence for their involvement in spot-fixing in 2010 Lord’s Test. The trio’s agent Mazhar Majeed was also sentenced to two years and six months in jail.
Legendary cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan said it was a sad day for Pakistan cricket.
“I feel very sad today not only for the players but for Pakistan and its cricket. But the fact is that when these players see corrupt people flourishing in our society, they think they can get away with anything,” Khan was quoted as saying by Geo News.
“It is a shameful day for Pakistan cricket today. I feel very bad for Amir in particular because he is still very young. I think he saw others doing it and thought he could get away with it as well,” he added.
Another former Pakistan captain, Ramiz Raja said that he has no sympathy for the tainted cricketers.
“I have no sympathy. They hurt Pakistan cricket and now justice has been done. We needed to get rid of such elements from the game and it’s good for world cricket,” said Raja.
Rashid Latif, a whistleblower and former Pakistan captain, said he feels vindicated now.
“They deserved this punishment, they had it coming. But now the Pakistan government and Pakistan Cricket Board should also take action against them. These convictions will hopefully serve as a deterrent to others in future because cricket should not be allowed to be corrupted by anyone,” Latif was quoted as saying by the English media.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was delighted with the way the spot-fixing issue was handled.
“I hope it sends a shockwave through the game – I really do – and I’m delighted with the way it’s been handled. I still believe there’s more out there. I still believe more can be done to try and capture more than just the three that we’ve been seeing in court over the last few weeks,” he said.