Spot-fixing: ICC hands lengthy bans to Pak trio - REAL STORY

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed a 10-year ban to former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, while pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been banned for 7 and 5 years respectively, report said Saturday. The three players at the centre of the spot-fixing allegations that rocked the Lord's Test against England in August 2010 were charged by the Scotland Yard with conspiracy to obtain and accept cash, and conspiracy to cheat. Former captain Salman Butt was banned for 10 years, Asif for seven years while Amir was banned for five years, anti-corruption tribunal head Michael Beloff told a press conference in Doha.

Pakistan spot-fixing trial: Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir to learn fate

Senior lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have been considering evidence that the men conspired to defraud bookmakers for several months.

A fourth man, businessman Mazhar Majeed, could also be charged over allegations he accepted £150,000 to fix the actions of players during a Test match against England at Lord's in August last year.

Captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have all been interviewed under caution by Metropolitan Police officers. Majeed was arrested.

Butt, Asif and Amir were provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last year. The three players deny the charges brought by the ICC under their anti-corruption code.

A fifth man, player Wahab Riaz, was also interviewed under caution but it is understood prosecutors did not consider bringing charges against him.

The reputation of the sport was engulfed in controversy over claims of corruption after allegations surfaced in the News of the World newspaper.

Majeed is accused of accepting cash to ask players to deliberately bowl no-balls during their tour of England.

A CPS spokesman said a decision on the fate of Butt, Asif, Amir and Majeed will be released at around 11am.

The PCB still claims that it could consider the three players for the World Cup, which starts on Feb 19, provided they get exonerated.

However, former players and fans believe the trio might not be able to return to cricket in the near future.

"I think Butt would get the maximum punishment which could be even a life ban," predicts former Test fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz.

Butt, Pakistan's former Test captain, has dismissed claims he will receive a life ban.

Some reports claim both Butt and Asif could be banned for life while Amir may be handed a five-year suspension.

"I don't believe in what the media is saying," Butt said. "My lawyer (Yasin Patel) terms the case as 50-50, so at the moment I don't want to say much.

"Cricket has been my livelihood, so I want that to carry on and I hope every Pakistani fan prays for me."

For LARGE VIEW - Click the image

Workshop in Superior University taken Raiwind Road on 29 jan 2011

Workshop in Superior University taken Raiwind Road on 29 jan 2011

Workshop on Automation of College Libraries and Capacity Building 16 Jan 2011

1/11/11 - A Day to Remember

1/11/11 is today, and while the first day of this year was popular with newlyweds, and most reception halls are already booked solid for Nov. 11, but there are few takers for today: 1/11/11.

Area wedding planners say the novelty of the date doesn't outweigh the fact that it's a Tuesday. A few brides will break from the traditional Saturday and get married on a Friday or Sunday.

Tuesday, however, is out of the question.

"Some of them will talk about it, but it fizzles out with the majority of them," said Connie DeLoach, of Cordially Invited Weddings.

Ansley Easterlin, at House of the Bride, said that brides might bend the rules up North but that Augusta is too much of a traditional Southern town for someone to get married on a Tuesday.

There are exceptions to every rule, but mostly it is a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Dorothy James, at the Cake Factory said they prefer a few months' notice for wedding cakes but can make an exception for those last-minute "let's get married" moments.

Betsy Love, at Love's Wedding Chapel, doesn't have any bookings for today, but she is always on the lookout for a walk-in. The couples don't usually say they're coming in for the date, but if Love asks, "They sheepishly will say, 'Yeah,' " she said.

Traci Figgins, the manager at Elegant Bridal, said a Tuesday wedding is too inconvenient for guests to get off work and travel from out of town.

"If (this date) were on a Saturday, we wouldn't be able to house all the brides," Figgins said.

The most popular date was July 7, 2007. It struck a chord as both biblically based and lucky; additionally, it was on a Saturday. Figgins believes it was one of the biggest wedding dates in history.

Just because it's not popular with brides doesn't mean the date isn't important.

Deborah Graham, an Augusta psychic who calls herself Mrs. Graham, said the date symbolizes new beginnings and is a good day for making important decisions -- including marriage. Numbers adding up to 5 make today especially lucky.