The match between England and Pakistan, which took place in August 2010 at Lord's, entered cricket history as one of the most controversial. Allegations of spot-fixing caused a serious resonance and deeply affected the careers of three leading Pakistani players. Particular attention was drawn to a preliminary prediction about the ball being a no-ball.
It all started with operational work related to the agent of Pakistani players, Mazhar Majid. The British newspaper News of the World published a report on August 28, 2010, according to which this agent paid money to Pakistani bowlers to bowl no-balls at specific moments of the match.
Mazhar Majid claimed that he received 1.5 million pounds for organizing the fixing. He named Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, stating that both bowlers would bowl a no-ball at critical moments of the game. His statements also mentioned the then-captain Salman Butt and the wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal.
According to Majid, Mohammad Amir was supposed to bowl the first over for the English team, and the first delivery in the third over was supposed to be a no-ball. In fact, Amir did bowl the first delivery of that over as a no-ball, which went far outside the boundary. Furthermore, during the game, Asif's no-ball was recorded on the last delivery of the tenth over. These consecutive events aggravated the accusations.
On the third day of the match, police arrived at the hotel where the Pakistani team was staying. The anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council (ICC) also took the situation seriously and began an investigation. On that day, the Pakistani team played extremely poorly, losing 14 wickets on the third day. Immediately after the match ended, the team went to the hotel.
Following the investigation and further legal procedures, the ICC took action against Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif, and Salman Butt. In February 2011, Amir was given a five-year ban, Asif a seven-year ban, and Butt a ten-year ban. Part of Asif's and Butt's sentences was suspended, but all three remained away from official cricket until September 2015.
One of the most interesting details of this case was the return of Mohammad Amir. In 2016, he returned to international cricket and played his debut return match exactly at Lord's. Thus, on the same ground where the dispute over the no-ball led his career to its most difficult period, Amir once again featured in the Pakistan national team.