Amir questioned by ICC anti-corruption tribunal

Suspended Pakistan pacer Muhammad Amir was questioned and cross-examined on the fourth day of the International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal hearing in Doha on Sunday.

According to reports, the 18-year-old Amir was questioned by one of the ICC lawyers and also by the lawyers for the two other suspended Pakistani players, Salman Butt and Muhammad Asif.

Amir's questioning is likely to continue on Monday after which it would be the turn of Asif.

Butt's questioning ended on Sunday and he has come in for lot of grilling from not only the ICC lawyers but also from the legal representatives of Amir and Asif," one source aware of the hearing developments said.

"Yes it was a tough cross-examination for Salman Butt since yesterday," the source said.

Indications are that both Amir and Asif have adopted the stance at the hearing that they followed their captain's orders in the fourth Test against England at Lords when cross examined by the ICC lawyers about the video evidence of them pre-planned no-balls.

The suspended trio is facing charges of having violated the ICC anti-corruption and security unit clauses and indulging in spot-fixing.

Butt is under the greatest pressure in the hearing as he was the captain of the Pakistan Test team in England when the spot-fixing scandal broke out after Mazhar Majeed, his agent-cum-alleged bookmaker was caught on camera by the News of the World tabloid claiming he could orchestrate spot-fixing within the Pakistan side.

Sources in the Pakistan cricket Board said that the greatest concern was for Amir who is a prodigious talent to come about in Pakistan cricket.

"The feeling is that even if Amir gets a two-year ban it would be mean he would be available for Pakistan at the relatively young age of 20 as his sentence should start from the time the ICC provisionally suspended the trio on September 2 last year," another source said.