New Zealand umpire Tony Hill said he and colleague Billy Bowden had thought Pakistan bowlers were deliberately bowling no-balls during last month's Test against England but didn't suspect a betting motive. Hill said in Thursday's edition of Wellington's Dominion-Post newspaper that they thought the no-balls bowled by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were deliberate but only a tactic to intimidate England batsman Jonathan Trott in in the match at Lord's. Neither Hill nor Bowden suspected “spot-fixing,” in which bettors gamble on specific incidents within a match. Hill said he and Bowden had discussed the obvious no-balls during breaks in play. It was not until after stumps on the third day of the match that Hill and Bowden were told the News of the World newspaper had exposed an apparent betting scandal involving Amir, Asif and captain Salman Butt. The newspaper alleged the Pakistan players bowled no-balls at specified times in the match at the behest of gamblers. Amir and Asif are under investigation by British police and the International Cricket Council over their possible involvement with bookmakers and participation in spot-fixing. “We never suspected a thing,” Hill told the Dominion-Post in an interview. “There had been the big overstep in particular and in our minds that was more a deliberate overstep to have a go at Trott, who had been batting so well.
