On this day, Pakistan's infamous spot-fixing scandal was exposed. In a sting operation, Mazhar Majeed, the agent of Pakistani players, admitted paying money to bowl deliberate no-balls.
Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt Involved in 2010 Spot Fixing Scandal
On August 28, 2010, Pakistan's infamous spot-fixing scandal was revealed, shaking the cricket world. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Asif were implicated. This scandal was brought to light worldwide through a sting operation, although the Pakistani players were already aware of it. Abdul Razzaq reported that when Shahid Afridi was informed of the scandal, he summoned Amir to his room. Razzaq said that the sound of slapping was heard from the room, and then Amir confessed to being involved in the conspiracy.
In a sting operation, Pakistani players' agent Mazhar Majeed was caught admitting that he had paid Pakistani players to deliberately bowl no-balls. Reports suggest that a fixing amount of £150,000 was agreed upon, with Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif bowling deliberate no-balls. He also stated that Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, and several other cricketers were also involved.
Coincidentally revealed
Abdul Razzaq later revealed on a Pakistani TV show that he learned about spot-fixing from a friend who worked as a mobile repairman. In fact, Mazhar Majeed had given him a faulty phone for repair. After repairing the phone, his friend read messages on the phone that were related to betting. He had sent messages to cricketers that mentioned spot-fixing in the Lord's Test. The friend showed Razzaq those messages, and he then informed Shahid Afridi.
Aamir cried after Afridi slapped him.
Shahid Afridi had already relinquished the Test captaincy, although he was Pakistan's limited-overs captain. Razzaq revealed on the show that Afridi called Aamir to his room and began questioning him after locking the door. Razzaq said that Aamir initially denied the truth, but then a slap sounded from the room, causing Aamir to cry. He reportedly admitted to being involved in the conspiracy. Razzaq also admitted that if the Pakistan Cricket Board had taken strict action earlier, the controversy would not have escalated so much.
Razzaq also revealed that some senior Pakistani players had advised the team manager to fine these players and deport them back to Pakistan before the ICC imposed sanctions. The ICC subsequently banned Salman Butt, Aamir, and Asif. They were also sentenced to prison by a British court.
