Second expert says no-balls had huge odds

Statistician David Kendix, who devised and continues to calculate the world rankings for the ICC, said the alleged pre-determined no-balls that Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif bowled in last year's Lord's Test had a one in 1.5 million chance of happening without any inside information.

Kendix, who also works for an insurance company on calculating the probability of rare events occurring to help insuring against them, is the second statistical expert in three days to tell Southwark Crown Court of such an improbability surrounding the no-balls being bowled exactly when predicted without foul play being present.

Kendix was the official scorer at Lord's during the match in question, as this is a role he has held since 1995, and has been a member of the Association for Cricket Statisticians and Historians.

"I was asked to look at these instances and apply my cricket expertise," Kendix told the court. "As part of that I looked at the bowlers' international careers with regards to no-balls. I studied in detail when they bowled no-balls in order to determine when they might bowl no-balls in future.

He added, after offering the court more in-depth detail: "The pattern of their previous no-balls did not give rise that on a particular ball in a particular over there would be a no-ball." This, he went on to say, would have a one in 1.5 million chance of happening with only public knowledge to help.

Alexander Milne, Asif's barrister, confirmed with Kendix in front of the court that the sixth ball of the tenth over of the innings - when Asif bowled the second alleged pre-planned no-ball - was his quickest delivery of the over, at just over 80 miles per hour.

Kendix was a prosecution witness at the trial of Salman Butt and Asif, who are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

Various senior police officers took the witness stand after lunch to reveal further detail about the findings of the raids that were made on the rooms of Butt, Asif and Amir last August at the team base at the Marriott Hotel in Regents Park. The court had previously heard the items apprehended via a printed transcript last week.

The prosecution will call its final witness on Thursday morning, former PCB Operations Manager Zakir Khan. He will be appearing via a video link from Lahore. There is a possibility that defendants Butt and Asif may even take the witness stand for the first time.

The case continues.