A 3-man International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption tribunal, which deferred a decision after a six-day hearing last month, began proceedings in Doha at 9:00 am local time (0600 GMT).

The tribunal is headed by Michael Beloff QC, while the other two members are Albie Sachs of South Africa and Sharad Rao of Kenya.

All three cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer now face charges in England. They have been formally charged by British prosecutors of taking bribes to fix matches.

Mazhar Majeed, the bookmaker, has also been charged.

The trio could be banned for life when an ICC tribunal announces its conclusions in Doha.

Salman Butt, who was Pakistan’s Test captain, and seamers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer have been accused of conspiring in the bowling of deliberate no-balls on last year’s tour of England — claims they all deny.

Butt, Asif and Aamer are all currently provisionally suspended by the ICC.