Mohammad Asif released from British prison

Former Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif was released from a British prison on Thursday after completing half of his one-year sentence for spot-fixing.Asif, 29, was handed a jail sentence at Southwark Crown Court in London in November last year, along with team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, after being found guilty of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lords Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.Mazhar Majeed, the agent for three players who was accused of striking the deal, was jailed for 32 months.The International Cricket Council (ICC) also banned the three players for a minimum of five years.All three players have the right to appeal against the ICC ban in the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sports.Aamer, who pleaded guilty in the London court, last month appeared in an ICC video to warn future players against fixing.Like Aamer, Asif was also considered as one of the fastest rising paceman at the international level.Before his ban, Asif had taken 106 wickets in 23 Tests. He also had 46 wickets in 36 one-day internationals.