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Former Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan has said that criminal charges are unlikely to be upheld against captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who are embroiled in a 'spot-fixing' scandal. "I don't think it will be easy to prove criminal charges against our cricketers. In most of these sting operations in which newspaper reporters change their identities, it's not easy to prove criminal charges in the court of law," The Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying. Khan however said that the evidence to uphold a civil case against the tainted trio is "quite strong". The three players have been charged with multiple breaches of the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s anti-corruption rules, and were suspended with immediate effect. "In accordance with the provisions of the code, this means they are immediately barred from participating in all cricket and related activities until the case has been concluded," the ICC had said in a statement. Earlier, it was reported that the PCB and the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) in the UK is working with a team of legal experts to prepare a strong defence for the players. British tabloid The News of the World has claimed that fast bowlers Amir and Asif had bowled pre-arranged 'no-balls' in the Lord's Test, which England won by an innings and 225 runs. The tabloid also claimed that the cricketers were part of a 150,000-pound betting scam with Butt and London-based agent Mazhar Majeed.

Criminal charges on trio unlikely in 'spot-fixing' scandal: Former PCB chief