Mohammad Asif attributed his infamous no-ball in last year's Lord's Test to the abuse he received in the over from his captain Salman Butt, a court heard in London on Thursday.
Asif was appearing in the witness stand for the first time on the 12th day of the alleged spot-fixing trial, and his lawyer Alexander Milne QC followed a preamble introduction of his career with the nitty-gritty moment about the no-balls in question.
Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to obtain and accept corruptpayments following the Lord's Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenager Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.
When discussing the tenth over at Lord's in which Asif's one questionable no-ball was delivered, on the sixth ball of the over, Milne asked his client if anything was said to him during this over. He responded by revealing how captain Butt had abused him. After the first ball of the tenth over Butt had moved into an unusual fielding position at a straight, short mid-off, which is where, it is alleged, that Butt made the remarks from.
"He said run faster f*****, and went on to say something like 'haven't you slept'? Somebody kept shouting. I think Butt was saying things; that made me lose concentration."
Milne replied to that answer by asking Asif whether Butt's comment was said in a funny way, pointing out that swear words can sometimes be used in a humorous, friendly way.
"No, it wasn't friendly," Asif said. "It was unfriendly for a captain to speak like that to me, especially with my position in the rankings." Asif went on: "I thought to myself that I had slept well last night so why is he saying these things. He was desperate for wickets but so was I."
During the morning's proceedings Milne also established through his answers from his client that Asif had minimal contact with Majeed. In fact although his older brother Azhar Majeed acted as his unsigned agent from 2006, bringing him two unpaid assignments in that time, he did not even meet Mazhar until May 2010 during the Twenty20 World Cup.
Asif told how Majeed frequently contacted him to sign a contract with his management company and would promise him sponsorship agreements with companies like GM (Gunn & Moore). Asif said he tolerated him because "GM was a big brand". Apart from those conversations Asif also told of how he frequently rejected offers either from Butt or Majeed to go to dinners with them, as he preferred to dine with friends from outside of the team.
Asif also denied ever having any knowledge of taking any money for the no-balls or even having any knowledge that other people had "an interest" in his bowling a no-ball. Asif spoke in broken English and even apologised to the jury saying "sorry, my English not very good." He needed frequent assistance from his interpreter.
The fast bowler also claimed that News of the World journalist Mazhar Mahmood met him on two separate occasions after scandal broke, even though Mahmood denied any such meeting during the presentation of his evidence. Asif claimed that Mahmood introduced himself as solicitor Imran Sheikh, offering to help him and asking him many questions about the scandal.
The defendant said that Sheikh later met up with him in Lahore and tried again to probe him for more answers of the scandal.
The case continues.
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