The cricketers are alleged to have been paid to bowl no-balls at pre-determined times in the fourth Test against England, which Pakistan lost by an innings on August 29.

Local lawyer Ishtiaq Ahmed filed the treason case last week, calling for life bans and confiscation of all the players' assets if they are found guilty. "The sports ministry official Saeed Ahmed informed the court in a written statement that investigations into the fixing scandal were in progress and it was premature to say that they were involved in corruption," the petitioning lawyer Ahmed told AFP.