Pakistan quartet under the microscope over allegations

Who are the four Pakistan players named by the News of the World over spot-fixing allegations?

The quartet were interviewed by the police on Saturday night, with captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif also having their mobile phones confiscated.

MOHAMMAD AMIR

Still only 18, during day two of the second Test at Lord's the left-arm paceman became the youngest bowler in Test history to take 50 wickets.

He went on to take his best Test figures, picking up 6-84 in England's only innings, and is currently ranked the eighth-best bowler in Test cricket.

He made both his Test and one-day debuts in July 2009 and has gone on to snare 51 Test wickets at a shade over 29 runs apiece, and has a further 25 victims in one-day internationals.

Born in Gujjar Khan, Punjab, he has a whippy action that enables him to swing the ball both ways at a lively pace that can touch 90mph.

Of the three no-balls bowled which led to the investigation, Amir is alleged to have bowled two of them, one on Thursday and one on Friday.

MOHAMMAD ASIF

A controversial figure who has twice been suspended after testing positive for banned substances - although one ban was subsequently overturned - and who was also detained in Dubai for suspected possession of illegal drugs.

He is a fine swing bowler who can manipulate the ball sufficiently at no more than medium pace - he says "pace is nothing" - to remove the very best at Test level.

Although he could bowl quicker he is happy to hover about the 80mph mark and his guile and ability to move the ball both ways have brought him 106 Test wickets at an average of 24.36.

Now 27 he made his Test debut in 2005 and is currently ranked third in the ICC bowling rankings.

He is alleged to have bowled one of the three no-balls in question on Thursday, the first day of the Test at Lord's.

SALMAN BUTT

The 25-year-old was only appointed Pakistan's Test captain in July after Shahid Afridi stepped down from the role - after a single game in charge - following their defeat in the first game of their two-Test series against Australia earlier this year.

Butt had previously been appointed vice-captain at the beginning of the tour after a number of senior players were discarded following what turned out to be a disastrous trip down under.

A stylish if inconsistent left-hander, who averages 30.43 from 30 Tests, he has proved more successful in ODIs, scoring 2,725 runs at an average of 36.82, including eight centuries.

He made his debut back in 2003 but was in and out of the side for several years until nailing down a regular place in 2007.

Along with Amir and Asif, Butt has had his telephone taken away by police but he said: "These are just allegations and anybody can stand out and say anything about you, it doesn't make them true."

KAMRAN AKMAL

The wicketkeeper was interviewed by the police along with the other three on Saturday night.

Kamran, older brother of batsman Umar, is renowned more for the explosive nature of his batting than the quality of his glovework.

At 28 he has already played 53 Tests and 118 ODIs, adding 184 Test catches and 22 stumpings to his 2,648 runs at 30.79 in the longest form of the game.

He was fined and put on probation by the Pakistan authorities after their dire tour of Australia in 2009-10 and a poor all-round display in the first Test against England led to him being dropped, only for the broken finger suffered by his replacement, Zulqarnain Haider, to see him recalled for the third Test.

He made his debut back in 2002, with the biggest of his six Test centuries the unbeaten 158 he scored against Sri Lanka in 2009.