London, November 04:Pakistan cricket pacer Mohammad Amir and his family receive threats from underworld involved in match-fixing.
According to ‘Daily Telegraph’, the targeting of Amir and his family by underworld figures involved in illegal gambling in the subcontinent played a large part in dissuading Amir from giving evidence as a witness in the trial of Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, and in his own mitigation hearing following his guilty plea.
The newspaper also quoted Trial judge Justice Cooke revealing the existence of “credible” threats as he sentenced Amir to six months’ detention for his part in conspiring to fix elements of the Oval and Lord’s Tests.
As well as claims provided by the player and his family, Cooke cited supporting evidence from the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.
Amir’s family claimed to have revealed death threats after his involvement in the fix was revealed by the News of the World, and earlier this year wicketkeeper Zulqainan Haider fled from the Pakistan squad claiming he had been threatened.
Amir pleaded guilty to bowling two no-balls in the Lord’s Test but denied any involvement in wider corruption, something the judge did not accept.
“You have referred, in material presented to the court, to threats to yourself and your family, saying that there are significant limits to what you can say in public,” Justice Cooke said.
“The reality of those threats and the strength of the underworld influences who control unlawful betting abroad is shown by the supporting evidence in the bundle of documents, including materials from the Anti Corruption and Security Unit of the ICC.”
–source:UNI