Strauss calls for ultimate penalty if allegations are proved

Shock and despair at the 'spot-fixing' allegations against members of the Pakistan team left England unable to celebrate their 3-1 npower Test series win yesterday.

Champagne and back slaps ought to have been in order at Lord's after England bowled their opponents out for 147 with five sessions to spare to win by an innings and 225 runs.

Yet instead of public acknowledgement of a task handsomely accomplished, administrators reacted to newspaper reports implicating several Pakistani players by organising a private post-match presentation ceremony in the Long Room.

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England captain Andrew Strauss emerged to speak of his "astonishment" and sadness at the finger of match-fixing suspicion on the tourists and the arrest of a 35-year-old man, from outside the Pakistan squad.

Confirmation has since come from team manager Yawar Saeed that Strauss's opposite number Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif had their mobile phones taken away by Scotland Yard officers, during their investigations held at the tourists' hotel late on Saturday night.

Strauss warned against pre-judging the repercussions of the controversy but believes – if cases are proven – anyone guilty of match-fixing should be banned from international cricket for life.

"Clearly with a lot of these match-fixing allegations, it is so hard to prove things categorically one way or another – which is one of the real difficulties," he said. "But if someone is found categorically guilty of doing it, the only way for me is for you not to be able to play international cricket again."

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Strauss had to keep his own team's mind on the job to complete the apparent formality of a seventh victory in eight Tests, for an enviable record to take with them to Australia for this winter's Ashes.

Before he did that, he had to get over Saturday night's shell-shock and process his own thoughts and emotions as best he could. "I was absolutely astonished," he said.

"I was sitting there watching the news when it came out. There was no prior warning or anything like that.

"I was first astonished and then pretty saddened straightaway. There have been so many good things that have happened in this Test, from our point of view.

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"But unfortunately, to a certain extent, they have been overshadowed by the allegations."

There are inevitable echoes of previous controversies, match-fixing and otherwise – one of which directly concerns Pakistan, who forfeited the final Test of their last tour of this country over ball-tampering allegations.

Strauss was captain then too, at The Oval in 2006.

"I feel pretty similar (to then) really, because I don't like the game of cricket being on the front pages for the wrong reasons.

"Clearly they are only allegations at this stage, but I suppose they are allegations of the worst kind. For those of us who love the game of cricket it's not a good thing.

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"They are only allegations at this stage. But when you are sitting there watching the News at Ten, you do not expect your match as the leading item – and we all know these sort of allegations are the worst type in any sport."