Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif has lost his appeal over his match fixing conviction.
Judges at the Court of Appeal in London said today that the 30-year-old former world number two Test bowler, who was released from jail in May last year after serving half of a 12-month sentence, did not have an arguable case for attacking his conviction.
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He was one of three Pakistan cricketers who received custodial sentences at London's Southwark Crown Court in November 2011 over a scandal that rocked world sport. u00a0Ex-captain Salman Butt was jailed for 30 months for his role as the “orchestrator” of a plot to bowl deliberate no-balls in the 2010 Lord’s Test against England while Mohammad Amir, who had been tipped to become one of the all-time great fast bowlers, was detained for six months in a young offenders institution.
As a result of bans imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the trio are barred from playing for five years. u00a0Mazhar Majeed, the London-based sports agent at the heart of the scandal, was jailed for two years and eight months.u00a0In November 2011, the Court of Appeal dismissed challenges brought by Butt and Amir against their sentences.u00a0
Lord Judge said at that time: “These three cricketers betrayed their team, they betrayed the country which they had the honour to represent and betrayed the sport that had given them their distinction - and of course betrayed all the very many followers of the game throughout the world. u00a0“In exchange for the privilege and distinction of playing Test cricket, what was required of them was that at all times they should perform honestly.”