Ex-Pakistan opening batsman from Walsall denies spot fixing
A Pakistani cricketer who lives in Walsall has denied being part of a bribery conspiracy.
Former international opening batsman Nasir Jamshed, 33, is accused of being part of a spot-fixing ring in the Pakistan Super League.
Jamshed, of High Street, Walsall, pleaded not guilty to conspiring to offer bribes to professional cricket players at Manchester Crown Court today.
Two other men admitted the same charge.
Yousef Anwar, 36, and Mohammed Ijaz, 34, were arrested last February as part of an investigation by the National Crime Agency into alleged spot-fixing in Twenty20 tournaments organised by national cricket boards from Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Both men had previously denied the offences, but changed their pleas on Monday ahead of a scheduled trial.
Anwar and Ijaz pleaded guilty to conspiring together between November 2016 and December 2016 to offer financial advantages to players in the Bangladesh Premier League, with the intention of inducing them to perform improperly by failing to play competitively in good faith.
They also admitted the same charge in relation to players taking part in the Pakistan Super League between November 2016 and February 2017.
Anwar, of Littlebrook Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, and Ijaz, of Chippingham Road, Sheffield, were granted bail ahead of sentencing, expected to take place early next year.
The prosecution will open its case against Jamshed in Tuesday.
Jamshed played in 48 one day internationals for Pakistan between 2008 and 2015 and also played league cricket for Old Elizabethans in Worcester.
