Riaz to be questioned over spot-fixing allegations

Wahab Riaz, the left-arm fast bowler, will be interviewed by Scotland Yard officials on September 14 (today), PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has said. Riaz will be the fourth Pakistan player to face police questioning in relation to the spot-fixing scandal currently dogging the national side. Salman Butt, the captain, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir are at the centre of allegations that they conspired with Mazhar Majeed, a players agent, to bowl deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan. The trio were grilled by police for over nine hours last Friday but eventually released without charge. In a press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Butt also also expressed the hope that the three players – provisionally suspended by the ICC – will return to Pakistan soon, an indication that criminal charges may not be pressed against them. The possibility of a fourth player under investigation for spot-fixing emerged last Sunday following revelations in the News of the World, the newspaper that carried out the original sting operation the week before. In the videos the newspaper released originally, Riaz was one of the players seen talking to Majeed outside a restaurant in London, allegedly donning a jacket worn by Majeed. “We have made sure that Wahab will be available for the questioning by police on September 14 (today),” Butt said.