LAHORE — Former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt has for the first time publicly admitted to and apologized for spot-fixing, two years after he was found guilty of the offense. Butt, along with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, was banned from the sport by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2011 after being found guilty of deliberately contriving no-balls in return for money during the Lord's Test against England the previous year. The trio and their agent Mazhar Majeed were also jailed by an English court in 2011. The players were released last year. “I apologize to the nation and all the fans who have been hurt by the spot-fixing case,” Butt told a press conference in the eastern city of Lahore in his first public apology for the offense. Butt received a 10-year ban, with five years suspended, for his role in the scam. Asif was barred for seven years, with two suspended, while Amir got five years. In April, Butt and Asif lost their appeals to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the ICC urged the players to accept their guilt and start rehabilitation. Amir had not appealed after pleading guilty before the UK court in 2011. “I admit the ICC tribunal decision and warn the future players to avoid the pitfalls of corruption because this is bad for the country and for the fans,” Butt, 28, said. He and Aamir have agreed to undergo rehabilitation through the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Butt's public apology is seen as a step toward shortening the remaining period of suspension. Butt also appealed to the interim PCB chief Najam Sethi Friday to reduce his ban and permit a return to domestic cricket, while indicating his ambition to play internationally in the future. “I request the interim chairman to request the ICC to reduce my and Asif's bans. I have two years ban left so if the ICC allows me to play domestic cricket then I will be ready for international matches once my ban ends. “I have enough cricket left in me and when my ban ends I am ready to play for the country again,” said Butt. No rest for India India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the expectation of the team's fans means there will be no post-Champions Trophy hangover when the team contests a triangular one-day series against the West Indies and Sri Lanka in the Caribbean. There has been no let-up for India after winning the trophy in rainy England, moving directly to the tropical heat for two weeks to contest the Celkon Mobile Cup. India is set to meet the West Indies Sunday. “The demands remain the same. The expectation when it comes to the Indian cricket team has always been the same,” Dhoni said at Thursday's series launch. “If it's moving, it only moves in one direction - it goes up.” Dhoni's side, No. 1 on the ICC rankings, now hold both main ond-day titles following their triumph in the World Cup on home soil two years ago. — Agencies
