Cricket agent bailed as sport hit by fresh allegations of match-fixing

• Mohammad Amir was named Pakistan's Man of the Series. He had his mobile phone confiscated by police Picture: Getty Images

Late last night, Mazhar Majeed, a cricket agent, was released from police custody after questioning. Police confirmed he had been bailed without charge.

Four Pakistan players, including captain Salman Butt, have also given statements to police over claims surrounding the Lord's Test against England.

Allegations centre on the timing of "no balls" delivered during the game.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed said bowlers Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and wicket keeper Kamran Akmal were also questioned by police.

Butt, Asif and Amir had their mobile phones confiscated by police as part of the investigation, he added.

Pressure is mounting on the Pakistan Cricket Board to act following this, the latest in a string of match-fixing allegations to dog the team since the 1990s.

Players and fans were united in their anger, with Lord MacLaurin, former chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, calling for any players guilty of "spot fixing" to be banned for life.

Undercover reporters from a Sunday newspaper allegedly paid a middleman 150,000 and in return were told exact details relating to play during the following day.

The paper said it was able to buy its way into a match-fixing ring by posing as Far Eastern businessmen.

The reporting team claims it was told exactly when three no balls would be bowled during the Test.

The controversy ensured the final day of the match was played out in a subdued atmosphere yesterday. Struggling with the pressure, the Pakistan team unusually refused the chance to warm up on the famous Lord's pitch prior to the start of play.

England made short work of their opponents when Pakistan finally emerged from the dressing room, winning the series 3-1 as the tourists slumped to an innings defeat.

Scotland Yard said a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers and was being held at a London police station.

Mr Saeed said police questioned his players at the team hotel in north London on Saturday night. "We got to the hotel at about 7:30pm and I was just settling into my room when I got a message that Scotland Yard officers are here and would like to see me.

"They said 'on a tip-off we want to investigate some of your players'." He added: "If anybody is guilty, he is guilty and should be punished."

Mazhar Majeed's brother and business partner, Azhar, insisted the allegations were "just rubbish".

In video footage released by the newspaper, Mazhar Majeed is apparently seen with a pile of money in front of him.

Mr Saeed told the international cricket website Cricinfo that the Majeed brothers were agents representing a number of Pakistan players. He said: "I told the players they should not be entertaining these two in their hotel rooms.These boys are their agents and, anywhere we tour in the world, we tell our players that they are not allowed to have agents in their hotel rooms. "

Shadow foreign secretary David Miliband said: "There will be lots of conspiracy theories and there will be lots of blame games, but it looks very bad and cricket should be about the best of sport, not the worst of it.".