The spot-fixing scandal that rocked the Pakistan Super League (PSL) on Tuesday resonated in the United Kingdom with the arrest of two persons who were later released on bail.
London-based National Crime Agency (NCA) said that the two men were arrested in connection with bribery offences as part of an ongoing investigation into international cricket match spot-fixing.
One of the arrested person is said to be a cricketer, who has played two Tests for Pakistan in 2013 but currently is not in the team. The duo have been told to report to the agency in April.
Pakistan media speculated that the cricketer could be UK-based former cricketer Nasir Jamshed but the Pakistan Cricket Board didn't confirm it.
PCB chairman, Shaharyar Khan told the Ary television channel that he had also heard that Nasir Jamshed had been arrested by NCA.
I have also heard this that Nasir and some person by the name of Yousuf were arrested and released on bail. They have apparently committed a crime on British soil and were arrested. The NCA is independently looking at this case but it involves spot fixing.Shaharyar Khan
A press release on the website of NCA said:
Two men in their thirties have been arrested by NCA officers in connection with bribery offences as part of an ongoing investigation into international cricket match spot-fixing. The men were arrested on Monday 13 February and have been released on bail until April 2017 pending further enquiries.
"As part of the on-going investigation we are working closely with the Pakistan Cricket Board and International Cricket Council's anti-corruption units. The Pakistan Cricket Board has launched its own investigation which has resulted in the suspension of three players," the release added.
The PCB on Monday had provisionally suspended Nasir Jamshed from playing all cricket until completion of investigations into the spot-fixing scandal that broke out in the PSL.
The left-handed opener who was also investigated for links with bookies during the Bangladesh Premier League in 2012/13, hit three successive one-day hundreds against India in the same season.
Pakistani batsmen, Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were the other two players who were suspended last week from the PSL over alleged breaches of the anti-corruption code.
(With inputs from PTI)
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