Cricket row will not hit relations with UK, says Pakistan

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Wajid Hasan said the claims and counter-claims between the two sides was a sporting matter and the countries' relationship was "on solid ground".

But he risked further inflaming the row by saying that Pakistan's Cricket Board chairman, Ijaz Butt, had made "a very innocent argument" by relaying claims that England players might have thrown the third NatWest Series one-day match at the Brit Oval in return for "enormous amounts of money".

The allegation sparked fury from the England camp with captain Andrew Strauss saying players had considered legal action.

Mr Hasan told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "Mr Butt made a very innocent argument. He said that it's very strange that, when Pakistan loses a match, people describe it as a spot-fixing or fixing of the match.

"When Pakistan win the match, the same allegations are levelled against it.

"While he was in India the bookies told him the matches are fixed in England. It's the responsibility of the ICC (International Cricket Council) to investigate allegations. This was an allegation made by a member of the ICC's board."

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson told Today the row risked affecting British-Pakistani relations: "In terms of the wider British-Pakistan relationship, if we were seen to be playing a part in throwing them out of world cricket, that would have a very severe impact across the piece."

Mr Hasan said: "Will this row sour our relationship? My answer is certainly no. This is a separate matter.

"Our relationship with the UK was not made overnight. It has its roots in the past. It is on solid ground."

Of the claims against Pakistani players, he said: "I can tell you our boys are innocent. I still maintain (that) until proven guilty, they are innocent."

Mr Robertson said he could sympathise with the England players' reaction: "I can absolutely understand the emotion involved in all of this. They have had their integrity questioned in the most fundamental way."