Pakistan's tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir will be interrogated by Scotland Yard detectives today despite their High Commissioner in London denying it, according to sources.
Well placed sources said today that the trio would remain in London for further questioning by the Scotland Yard detectives into the spot-fixing scandal and are unlikely to join their team soon.
"They have been summoned today and will be accompanied this time by Pakistan Cricket Board's legal advisor Tafazzul Rizvi and the English barrister hired by the Board in London," one source said.
He said that in the past 24 hours, the PCB had been told in clear terms by International Cricket Council that the three players cannot play in the Twenty20 and one-day series against England until the investigations into their alleged involvement are over.
Pakistan high commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan, however, told reporters in London earlier in the day that the trio were not dropped but opted out from the T20 and one-day series because of the "mental torture" they had undergone.
But the source said the truth was that the ICC had "advised" the PCB to withdraw them from the tour after the Scotland Yard said it could not give clearance until investigations were completed.
"The Scotland Yard did not give clearance while the ICC made it clear that if the PCB insisted on playing the three in the one-day series it would bring into doubt the credibility of the one-day matches itself," the source said.
"The ICC advice was that until investigations are completed the players should remain in London and not with the team," the source added.
The source said that the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had spent the last 24 hours under great deal of stress as more details of the 'spot-fixing' scandal were coming to light.
"He is under pressure and the Pakistan Government has even sent its deputy attorney general to London to assist the PCB legal advisor in the case," the source stated.
The presence of a growing legal team in London, sources said, indicates that in the next two days, the players could be in more trouble once the Scotland Yard gives its preliminary report.
