News of the World, the UK's biggest-selling newspaper, said it has secretly filmed footage that proves Pakistani players took money to deliberately make mistakes during the match.

It alleged that two Pakistani bowlers, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif, delivered three no-balls to order.

Undercover reporter

The newspaper said an undercover reporter posing as a front man for a betting syndicate gave $230,000 to a middle man, who correctly told the reporter precisely when the deliveries would be bowled.

The newspaper published a photograph of the alleged middle man, Mazhar Majeed, counting wads of banknotes.

The mentor and coach of the Pakistani cricket prodigy Mohammad Amir today rejected allegations that the teenager was involved in corruption, after he was named in an undercover betting investigation.

The 18-year-old Amir took six wickets in the fourth Test against England on Saturday before his achievement was eclipsed by allegations that he and fellow opening bowler Mohammad Asif had deliberately bowled no-balls.

Asif Bajwa, who has a cricket academy in Rawalpindi, told the Associated Press that Amir "is not that kind of chap".

The Pakistan team manager, Yawar Saeed, insisted that a planned one-day international series against England would go ahead. "As far as I'm concerned the one-day series is on," he said.

England won the final match of the Test series by an innings and 225 runs after play went ahead despite Pakistani players being interviewed by police overnight.

One is, of course, completely gutted.

The whole idea of "spot fixing", i.e. betting on non-critical details within the game, is absurd, and should be banned.

The whole idea of professional sport is highly questionable of course... but a bit hard to ban.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}