Former England cricket captain Geoffrey Boycott on Monday said the ICC has never dealt with corruption cases involving Pakistan properly and the body should hand over the latest spot-fixing scandal to ex-players such as him if it cannot punish the implicated players hard enough.

"It is no coincidence that Pakistan are repeatedly implicated in these scandals because they never deal with them properly," Boycott said. "People might get suspended or banished from the team, but within a few months the regime changes, and they are back again, as if nothing happened," he added.

Boycott said the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit can take the help of former players in dealing with the case if it cannot act on its own. "I can promise you, we wouldn't mess about," he said.

Boycott also criticised Pakistan for defending the trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir who have been implicated in the spot-fixing row following a British tabloid's sting operation.

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"Pakistan must join the rest of the world in deploring what happened at Lords. There is no point them trying to turn a blind eye," Boycott wrote in 'The Daily Telegraph'.
"The evidence looks so bad that, whatever the police make of this case, the ACSU will be under pressure to take strong action," the former batsman said.

"Within the disciplinary hearings, the burden of proof might as well be reversed: it is up to the players to prove themselves innocent." Boycott took a sympathetic view of Amir who is just 18 and the youngest bowler to take 50 Test wickets.

"Tell the truth about what took place and he can get off with a lighter sentence. If he won't play ball, then make an example of him," he wrote. "I feel for Amir, because any 18-year-old is likely to get dragged along by his seniors.

But I still believe that he deserves a lengthy ban — seven years, perhaps — if he is shown to have bowled no-balls to order," he said.

However, Boycott said Butt and Asif do not deserve any mercy if they are found guilty. "They should be treated even more harshly, because they have no excuse. It looks like a crime against cricket.”