5 match fixing incidents that shocked cricket fans

#4 Spot Fixing scandal in England

Amir has made a successful return to cricket following his suspension

The biggest match-fixing scandal since the Hansie Gate happened in Pakistan's tour of England in 2010. Young pace bowlers, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif along with Salman Butt, the captain, were implicated in a spot-fixing incident.

All three players had taken money from a bookie named Mazhar Majeed to perform certain directed acts during the course of the Test at Lord's. A sting operation revealed that Majeed predicted the exact times Asif and Amir would bowl no-balls. Butt became involved as Majeed was caught revealing the exact proceedings of an over while implying Butt was also in.

In a video posted by News of the World, the team that conducted the sting operation, Majeed predicted that Amir's first ball of the third over in the fourth test at Lord's would be a no-ball. Amir did bowl the third over, and on his first delivery from the over, conceded a no-ball.

Commentators described the delivery as an "enormous no-ball, good half a metre over the line".Majeed also predicted that the sixth delivery of the tenth over would be a no-ball delivered by Asif, which also turned out to be true.

On 5 February 2011, after several trials, it was announced that the ICC had banned all three players. Butt was banned for ten years, of which five were later suspended, Asif for seven years, of which two were suspended, and Amir for five years. Amir returned successfully for Pakistan in 2015 after serving his time off and plays in all three formats.