Pakistan match-fixing claims: Three players protest innocence but pull out of tour

The three Pakistan players at the centre of match-fixing allegations have protested their innocence but pulled out of the remainder of the tour to England citing mental fatigue. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir met with the Pakistan High Commission in London this morning and a spokesman later said they deny claims in the News of the World at the weekend that they were part of a spot-fixing ring. They have not been formally suspended by the PCB but their withdrawal is the result of heavy cricketing political pressure behind the scenes.