Cricketer withdraws spot-fixing appeal

Mohammad Asif, one of the three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of an International Cricket Council spot-fixing investigation, has withdrawn an appeal against his provisional suspension.

Seam bowler Asif was provisionally suspended by the game's governing body alongside Test captain Salman Butt and new ball partner Mohammad Amir after the ICC initiated an investigation into newspaper allegations that the trio had acted in association with illegal bookmakers during their summer tour of England this year.

All three took up the option of appealing their bans and their cases were due to be heard in Doha on October 30-31.

Butt and Amir have not followed Asif's lead and their hearings will now continue as planned.

Neither the provisional suspension, nor the subsequent written appeals, put an end to the story with fresh spot-fixing allegations dogging the one-day series between England and Pakistan.

With Asif no longer involved the panel investigating the allegations, chaired by the head of the ICC's Code of Conduct Commission Michael Beloff QC, may choose to base themselves closer to the organisation's Dubai headquarters.