2011 – The Spot-Fixing Scandal and Jail Sentences
In a landmark ruling, three Pakistani cricketers — Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif, and Mohammad Amir — were handed jail sentences for their role in the 2010 Lord’s Test spot-fixing scandal. Butt received two and a half years, Asif one year, and Amir six months. The players, already banned by the ICC, were tried in a London court for accepting corrupt payments and conspiring to cheat. Hidden-camera footage by News of the World revealed the setup, where agent Mazhar Majeed (sentenced to two years and eight months) offered to arrange deliberate no-balls. Amir and Majeed pleaded guilty, while Butt and Asif were convicted after trial. All three returned to cricket once their bans ended in 2015.