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Pakistan test
captain Salman Butt and his two opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and
Mohammad Asif have withdrawn from the tour of Britain while
investigations into alleged corruption continue.

Pakistan High
Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan told reporters in London the trio had
asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to withdraw them from a seven-match
one-day series against England because of the “mental torture” they had
undergone.

“They said they are extremely disturbed at what has happened,” Hasan said. “They mentioned that they are entirely innocent.”

Hasan said he believed in the players’ innocence and added Pakistan could take legal action to defend them.

British police
confiscated the three players’ mobile phones following allegations of
corruption in a British newspaper. They were accused of taking bribes
to fix incidents in the fourth test against England which finished at
Lord’s last Sunday.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed told reporters on Thursday the three players would be replaced.

“We will ask for three replacements,” Saeed told reporters before a one-day warmup match against English county Somerset.

“The T20 squad for
two games will remain as it is here this morning, this means 13 people.
For the one-day internationals subsequently we will be asking for
replacements to make up the squad of 16 again.”

Pakistan play two Twenty20 matches against England in Cardiff starting on Sunday followed by five 50 overs games.

“The boys will
focus on the cricket and we are here to play good cricket,” Pakistan
one-day captain Shahid Afridi told Sky television.

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke said the board welcomed the decision to withdraw Butt,

Amir and Asif.

“As chairman of the
ICC’s (International Cricket Council) Pakistan task team I look forward
to working with Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, the chairman of
the Pakistan Cricket Board and everyone involved in taking forward
cricket in Pakistan,” Clarke said in a statement read to reporters.

Clarke has called for an ICC team to visit Pakistan, which has not
hosted international cricket since militant gunmen attacked the Sri
Lanka team bus in March last year.