Asif hopeful of winning appeal in spot fixing scandal

Sydney: Disgraced Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif has expressed hope the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will turn over the ban he received following his involvement in the spot fixing scandal that shook the world of cricket. Asif said after the end of a daylong hearing behind closed doors at the CAS`s Swiss headquarters that the court would give them their decision in the next three weeks.

Asif added hopefully he is going to win this case, and he added he would like to play cricket again.`` Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt is due to attend a CAS appeal hearing on his own ban today. Butt, Asif and fellow fast bowler Mohammad Aamer were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for contriving to bowl deliberate no balls during the Lord`s Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010. Butt was banned for 10 years, with five suspended, Asif for seven years, with two suspended, and the then teenager Aamer for five years. A British court also jailed the trio over the scandal in November 2011 and all three were released last year after completing half of their sentences. Aamer, now 20, decided not to pursue his appeal at the CAS, after pleading guilty to the charges in Britain. Asif played 23 Tests and 38 one-day internationals and was regarded as one of the best new-ball bowlers in the world. ANI