PakPassion.net reports the deduction of legal costs by the PCB from the salaries of the Amir, Asif and Butt...

As cricket lovers and fans hold their collective breath in eager anticipation of the result of the spotfixing trial, it has come to light that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had allegedly deducted a sum of £20,000 pounds from the salaries of each of the accused.

Mohammed Amir, Mohammed Asif and Salman Butt are on trial for "Conspiracy to cheat" and "Conspiracy to accept corrupt payments". The case is a result of a sting operation carried out by the, now defunct, News of The World newspaper where the three accused were implicated along with their agent Mazhar Majeed.

Sources have revealed that the funds were deducted in order to cover legal costs pertaining to the current trial, in progress at the Crown Courts in Southwark, London. It's been alleged that Salman Butt's legal bill is based upon 101 minutes of legal consultation with a PCB appointed legal representative last year in England, shortly after the allegations were made against the trio.

It's not entirely clear what exact arrangements were agreed between the PCB and the accused but the magnitude of the deduction will undoubtedly be of major financial concern to the three.

With representations from both sides now over and the jury unable to deliver an unanimous verdict, the judge has asked for a majority verdict which is pending at the time of the publication of this article.