Spot-fixing controversy| Jury hears further phone evidence

The jury deciding on the alleged spot-fixing trial at Southwark Crown Court, involving Pakistan players Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, returned to court just before lunch on Friday to hear more evidence from telephone conversations involving agent Mazhar Majeed's attempts to ask Butt to play out a maiden over.

On the 18th day of the trial, and on the second day of the jury's deliberations, the jury came back into court at 12.20pm to listen to recorded transcripts for about half an hour.

They listened to two recordings. The first was of a telephone conversation between Majeed and the undercover News of the World journalist on the evening of August 20, with Butt heard on speaker phone. They also heard a call made on the morning of August 21 when Majeed spoke to the journalist in person at his Croydon home, and also rang Butt again during that conversation. Majeed was trying to ask Butt to bat out a maiden over, which he did not subsequently do

The jury began their deliberations at about midday on Thursday when Justice Cooke told them then: "The only satisfactory verdict in a criminal trial is a unanimous verdict," the judge said. "I do not want to hear anything about majority decisions at the moment." The judge may consider a majority verdict, though, should there not be a decision within several days.

"There is no set time for a verdict," he had added. "You can take as short a time or as long a time as you need within reason. There is no pressure on you. If you do not reach a decision today, I shall send you home and you can come back tomorrow."

The judge had earlier completed his summing-up on what was the 17th day in the trial and he offered some guidance to the 12-person jury who will decide the fate of the two players.

Former captain Butt and pace bowler Asif face charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed and teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-planned no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.