Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan says swift action must be taken against anyone found to have been part of the alleged no-ball conspiracy at Lord’s.
“If these allegations are true then there should be exemplary punishment,” he told Geo436.
Former International Cricket Council chief Malcolm Speed believes the ICC may ban Pakistan from cricket.
Past captains from both England and Pakistan have called for life bans if the allegations are proved.
Bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, captain Salman Butt and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal have been questioned by police over claims Amir and Asif bowled no-balls against England in the final Test at pre-determined times as part of a betting conspiracy.
Meanwhile, investigators from Pakistan are flying to London to examine the allegations for themselves.
Pakistan are due to play Somerset on Thursday, but the two Twenty20 matches against England which follow and a five-match one-day series that is scheduled to begin on 10 September have been thrown into doubt.
Imran believes the tour must continue even if some of the Pakistan team are guilty.
“Why should the fans suffer? If the players are found guilty they should be shunted out of the team [and] replaced by others,” he said.
But Speed, who served as ICC chief between 2001 and 2008, disagrees.
“I think that suspension is an option. It is serious,” said Speed.
“It looks as though it is endemic that several of the team members are involved and have been for some time. So perhaps they need a rest,” he said.
The ICC’s anti-corruption unit is already investigating Pakistan’s tour to Australia in December and January, which included a suspicious result in the final Test in Sydney when Pakistan contrived to lose in a dominant position amid a flurry of dropped catches.
The tourists were whitewashed in both Test and one-day series down under and several players were banned for misconduct following an investigation by the PCB.
England’s victory at Lord’s on Sunday wrapped up a 3-1 series victory, but skipper Andrew Strauss believes a considered decision must be made before the two sides meet again.
“I honestly think the best thing is to let the dust settle. It is easy to get emotional about these things at the moment,” stated Strauss.
“There will be some very strong reasons for the series to go ahead. But they are also going to have to think about what the right thing to do is going forward.”
Several of Strauss’s predecessors have called for life bans for any player found guilty.
“The game has to be cleaned up. This is the chance to change the game forever and stamp this kind of thing out,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan.
“The only way the game will move forward is by hitting those involved with life bans if they are found guilty.”
Nasser Hussain, who led the side between 1999 and 2003, doubts that any corruption would have been limited to just one aspect of the team’s play.
“I find it hard to believe that we’re just talking about a few no-balls,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.
“I’m furious with Pakistan for going down this road again.
“My hope is that, if the allegations are true, the authorities are strong.”
Former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja alleges that match-fixing was a problem amongst some of his international team-mates in the mid-1990s and has not been fully eradicated since.
Salim Malik, one of Raja’s one-time team-mates, and medium pace bowler Ata-ur Rehman had life bans for match-fixing rescinded in 2008 and 2007.
“Those players must now be dealt with severely. I would suspend those named in the report immediately to tell the world we mean business,” said Raja.
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