Zardari asks PCB to investigate spot-fixing fiasco

The PCB is likely to conduct a wide-ranging internal review into the spot-fixing fiasco and take a broader look at the turmoil the sport is in in the country. Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the PCB's chief patron, has asked the board to deal with the issue on an urgent and stringent basis.

"It's a sad incident for the country," Farhatullah Babar, the President's spokesman, told ESPNCricinfo. "The PCB has been asked to suggest appropriate steps to ensure it doesn't happen again.

"It's not about just finding the facts in the spot-fixing affair but also the larger issue of finding a solution to the problem of corruption in the sport. This is what the PCB has been directed to do."

The PCB had rejected the ICC's Task Team report on Pakistan cricket, which had recommended what amounted to a root and branch reform of the game in the country. The report was partially rejected on the grounds that circumstances in Pakistan are unique, calling it "a scholarly exercise" rather than being a Pakistan-specific document. However, the PCB has taken a number of anti-corruption measures already, as directed by the ICC in October.

In its immediate formal reaction to the conviction and sentencing of the three Pakistan players, the PCB said it had suggested to the government the enacting of a law making corruption in sports a criminal offence. The law would not only be a deterrent but also allow proper prosecution and punishment for criminal behaviour.

Meanwhile, allrounder Shahid Afridi claimed he was approached on several occasions by the players' agent Mazhar Majeed - now serving a sentence for his role in the case - but refused to speak with him because of "suspicions".

Afridi, who handed over the captaincy to Butt after losing the first Test to Australia on the same tour last year, said Majeed had tried to befriend him. "He always tried to contact me personally in the hotel and wanted time to meet me but I avoided him all the time because I had my suspicions that he was not trustworthy and involved in betting," Afridi said in a television interview.