Pakistan players in betting probe dropped

Trio vows to fight allegations of spot-fixing but pulls out of tour

TAUNTON, England - Three Pakistan cricketers accused of involvement in an illegal betting scam maintained their innocence on Thursday after withdrawing from their team's scandal-tainted tour of England.

Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif vowed to clear their names in a meeting in London with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's ambassador to Britain.