'Players guilty of match-fixing should be banned'

Former England batsman Allan Lamb has demanded life bans for Pakistani cricketers if they are found guilty of being involved in 'spot-fixing' or match-fixing in the ongoing Test at Lord's against England.

A day after a bookie was caught on tape by a tabloid sting operation, admitting to giving bribes to Pakistani cricketers, Lamb said there was no place for cheats in international cricket.

"If any player is caught, they've got to be banned for life. We've got to wait until the police investigation, who are the guilty parties, and the people caught have got to be banned for life," Lamb told BBC.

"Cricket has to go on, it can't just stop - we've got to get rid of the people involved, life ban them, and the game has to go on," her said.

Lamb, however, asserted that the scandal cannot take away the credit from England for simply outplaying Pakistan in the four-match Test series.

"I think they've played very good cricket and got back into game with a magnificent partnership. (But) it's taken all the efforts by England and it's under a dark cloud. People will say, 'That record-breaking partnership, it can't really count because were the bowlers trying?'

"It's such a bad thing. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth.