Historic conviction: Butt, Asif guilty

Banned Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has been found guilty of two offences and his team-mate Mohammad Asif has been found guilty of conspiracy to cheat in the spot-fixing trial, making them the first cricketers to be criminally convicted.

In the most significant day of the 20-day trial, the jury for the spot-fixing case gave its verdict after nearly two hours of being present at the Southwark Crown Court.

Butt was found guilty on two counts - by a majority on conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and by unanimous verdict on conspiracy to cheat. Asif was found guilty by unanimous verdict on conspiracy to cheat. The jury is still considering the charge of accepting corrupt payment against Asif.

Butt, a former opener and captain, faces a possible jail term of seven years. A decision on his conviction will be taken later this week.

Butt and Asif stood impassively in the dock as the verdicts were delivered.

The pair became the first sportsmen to be convicted of on-field corruption in UK court since the 1960s.

The jurors hearing the trial took five days to reach their verdict on all charges. They resumed their deliberations on Tuesday morning after presiding judge Justice Cooke told them he would accept a 10-2 majority.

Butt, 27, and Asif, 28, plotted to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test against England last August.

The tainted duo was charged after an undercover reporter for the now defunct News of the World recorded sports agent Mazhar Majeed boasting of how he could arrange for Pakistan players to rig games.

Mazhar Majeed was also charged and arrested but was not part of the trial.

Former ICC chief Ehsan Mani termed Tuesday`s verdict as very `sad` day for the world cricket.

"This tells us that Pakistani cricket establishment has failed somewhere," he said adding, "it`s a very sad day for cricket around the world."

source: CricketNext