Spot fixing case: Trial judge begins summary

The judge presiding over the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing trial has instructed the jury at a London court on Tuesday to accept that teenage bowler Mohammad Amir and agent Mazhar Majeed were involved in fixing.Former Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif face charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following a Lords test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.The comments came as the judge began his summary of the trial at Southwark Crown Court and were the first official guidance given to the jury on Amir and Majeed. However the judge added that their apparent guilt should not bias the fate of Butt and Asif.You can proceed on the basis that Majeed and Amir were involved in the spot-fixing at Lords, as all parties agree that is the case, Justice Cooke told the jury. But dont be concerned at their absence.Earlier, Butts lawyer Ali Bajwa completed his closing arguments, stressing that it was possible for no-balls to have been fixed without the knowledge of his client.He suggested there was a criminal conspiracy between Majeed and Amir and possibly Asif, but insisted that Butt played no part in any spot-fixing that might have occurred.In his closing, Asifs lawyer Alexander Milne urged the jury to follow the money after police failed to find any marked cash from an undercover reporter in his clients room during initial police raids.