Cricket: The Pakistan cricketers at the centre of corruption allegations were tonight warned they face swift and firm punishment if the claims against them are proved.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) did not suspend the players today, meaning as it stands they could line up against Somerset on Thursday and against England in a Twenty20 international on Sunday.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “The integrity of the game is of paramount importance. Prompt and decisive action will be taken against those who seek to harm it.
“However, the facts must first be established through a thorough investigation and it is important to respect the right of due process when addressing serious allegations of this sort.
“Make no mistake — once the process is complete, if any players are found to be guilty, the ICC will ensure that the appropriate punishment is handed out. We will not tolerate corruption in this great game.”
Pakistan's one-day squad have left their London hotel as allegations of spot-fixing continue to engulf the tourists. The eyes of the cricketing world have been on Pakistan since newspaper reports on Sunday alleged several key members of the side were involved in wide-reaching betting scams.
The feasibility of completing the scheduled limited-overs series against England had been questioned but Pakistan are due to play Somerset in a tour match on Thursday after travelling to Taunton this afternoon.
Test captain Salman Butt and seam bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif - all of whom have been directly implicated in this weekend's allegations - were the last players to board the vehicle.
Butt smiled as he passed a small group that had gathered at the hotel, though there were isolated shouts of abuse from at least one member of the public.
Mazhar Majeed, 35, an agent to a number of Pakistan players, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers on Sunday - and later bailed without charge - after a News of the World undercover investigation led to allegations that Pakistan bowlers had deliberately delivered no-balls at specific moments in the match, which saw the tourists suffer their heaviest ever defeat by an innings and 225 runs.
Team manager Yawar Saeed later confirmed Butt, Asif and Aamer had their mobile phones confiscated by police as part of the investigation into the claims.
Pakistan has dispatched a three-man delegation representing the Federal Investigation Agency - the country's highest law enforcement agency - to London to probe the allegations.
"Scotland Yard is doing its own investigations, our team is there to assist them and also independently find out what has happened," Pakistan interior minister Rehman Malik said. "The FIA delegation...will not only assist but also carry out their own inquiries into the allegations made against our players."
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani - who officially launched the investigation - said: "The latest fixing allegations have bowed our heads in shame.
"I have ordered a thorough inquiry into these allegations so that action could be taken against those who are proven guilty."
Reaction has also been coming from Down Under, with Australia captain Ricky Ponting saying he never suspected anything untoward in the Sydney Test against Pakistan in January, despite allegations which suggest the match may have been fixed.
The wildly-fluctuating nature of that match raised suspicions of match fixing, especially when four dropped catches by Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal allowed Australia to set the tourists 176 for victory, a total which they never looked like making after some ill-disciplined batting.
“Certainly not through the middle of that game was there any thought at all. I guess we would just like to think that we totally outplayed them for the last three or four days of that Test match," he said.
The Australia skipper admitted he had been been left stunned by the claims.
“I am absolutely shocked at some of the things that I saw on the TV the last couple of days," Ponting said.