Amir's basis of plea agreed by the prosecution was:
The defendant's involvement was limited to the final Test match at Lord's between August 26 and 29, 2010.
This was the defendant's first and only involvement and was, therefore, an isolated and one-off event.
The defendant only became involved as a result of pressure (not amounting to physical threats) and influence, to the effect that, if he did not become involved, he would suffer serious professional implications to his future career.
"Amir wants to make it clear he wants to take full responsibility for what he did by bowling two deliberate no-balls," Amir's barrister Ben Emmerson QC said at the pre-trial. "This vulnerable 18-year-old boy, as he was then, was subjected to extreme pressure from those upon whom he should have been able to rely. He recognises the damage he has caused Pakistan cricket and he wishes to do his best to put that right."
Prosecution evidence, however, suggested that rather than being an innocent, naïve rookie who was taken advantage of, Amir seemed a willing conspirator, with text messages of fixing talk sent to two different Pakistan numbers that were recovered by police.
Of further significance was Amir's basis of plea - he owned up only to fixing the two no-balls at Lord's. This was questioned by the judge, Justice Cooke, because there was evidence to be presented by the prosecution that showed suspicious behaviour connected to other matches that summer, chiefly the third Test at The Oval.
