Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif bans set to expire

Former Pakistan Test cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif will be free to return to competitive cricket on 1 September, the International Cricket Council has confirmed.

The duo was banned for five years in 2011 for corruption but those backdated sanctions are due to expire.

Bowler Mohammad Amir, who was banned at the same time, returned to Pakistani domestic cricket earlier this year.

All three will be eligible to play international cricket from next month.

Amir, 23, fellow bowler Asif, 32, and captain Butt, 30, were convicted over 'spot-fixing' offences in a Test match against England at Lord's in August 2010.

They were found to have deliberately bowled no-balls as part of a betting scam initially uncovered by a undercover investigation by the now-defunct News of the World.

two suspended, and Butt, described as the ringleader, for 10 years with five suspended.

In addition to these sanctions, all three players were jailed: Butt for 30 months, Asif for one year and Amir for six months.

In January, Amir was granted permission by the ICC to return to domestic cricket eight months prior to serving his full five-year ban.

He has since played four matches for Rawalpindi Rams in Pakistan's national Twenty20 tournament.

In May, he said he was aiming to play for Pakistan in next year's World T20 in India.

Butt told ITV News in April that he also harboured ambitions of playing international cricket again.

The trio would theoretically be eligible to face England in their series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October and November.