'Give exemplary punishment to guilty players'

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar on Monday joined the chorus of the international cricket fraternity in asking for exemplary punishment to Pakistani players if found guilty of 'spot-fixing' but advised for a thorough probe before coming into conclusions.

"If the allegations are conclusively proved with enough evidence then action need to be taken so that this thing is not repeated. Whoever is indulging in this should be punished. If it is proved that the no-balls were deliberate and induced by money, then yes, they should be punished," Gavaskar said.

"But I like a lot more proof before making a conclusion. The quick bowlers sometimes try to attack batsmen with their deliveries and overstep.

"If you go by the incidence of the arrest, then it's some evidence. But a detailed probe must be carried out to find out what he had said and what was actually done by the bowlers. It could be just a co-incidence also," Gavaskar told NDTV.

World cricket was rocked by a scandal on Sunday when reports of 'spot-fixing' emerged against Pakistan captain Salman Butt, pacers Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamir and four other players, which led to the arrest of a bookie in London and questioning of the players by Scotland Yard.