• Spot-fixing controversy

ICC anti-corruption unit a 'toothless tiger' - Strauss

Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have all been handed jail sentences © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Amir 'will be back', says mentor Asif Bajwa
  
• News: Asif likely to appeal verdict
  
• News: No bad blood between England and Pakistan - Swann
  
• News: Butt jailed for 30 months over spot-fixing controversy
  
• News: Majeed's brother rejects guilt by association
  
• News: Sentencing remarks in spot-fixing trial
  
• News: There are more fixers out there - Michael Vaughan
  

Andrew Strauss remains concerned the International Cricket Council is not doing enough to rid cricket of corruption, despite a trio of Pakistan players being handed jail sentences for their part in the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the sport.

On Thursday, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were given prison terms for conspiring to bowl deliberate no-balls during a Test match at Lord's in the summer of 2010. The sentences delivered at Southwark Crown Court came as a shock to some but many believed the punishments fitted the crime, with the hope being the jail time would act as a deterrent.

Despite the three players being found guilty of spot-fixing, Strauss says the ICC needs help in unearthing more illegal activity. The England captain is worried the anti-corruption unit of the international governing body does not have the resources it needs to perform its job effectively.

"For me, there's still a lot of questions to be answered because they weren't exposed by any of the cricketing members, they were exposed by the News of the World," Strauss said.

"I still think the ICC could be doing a lot more than they are doing. Unfortunately, the anti-corruption unit is a pretty toothless tiger. They can't get into the real depth of it all because they haven't got the resources available to them.

"I don't hold it against them, they're doing the best job they possibly can. They can't do sting operations like the News of the World, they can't infiltrate these betting networks. They've tried their best. I'm very hopeful that only a minor percentage of cricketers are involved in it, hopefully that is the case but the truth is we really don't know."

Meanwhile, fast bowler Amir, who has been jailed for six months in a young offenders' detention centre, has riled Pakistan's cricket chiefs by claiming players have been let down by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Amir apologised for "the biggest mistake of my life" but then aimed a dig at the PCB by saying he had not been educated about anti-corruption. "I was not given enough information about the anti-corruption code by the PCB," he said.

In response, a PCB statement said: "In March 2010 Amir signed the code of conduct for players when he was issued his central contract.

"The code of conduct clearly states that by signing the same the player commits to abiding by all ICC rules regarding betting, match-fixing, corruption, and any matter that could call into question the integrity of the game.

"Amir acknowledged that he understood the code and his responsibilities under the same. Amir also committed that he would abide by these rules and any others formulated in this regard."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.