Haroon Lorgat hopes the criminal convictions handed down to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir will serve as a future deterrent.
ICC boss reiterates zero-tolerance stance on corruption
International Cricket Council chief executive Haroon Lorgat hopes the criminal convictions handed down to Pakistan trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir serve as a deterrent to anyone tempted to be involved in match-fixing in the future.
Butt and Asif were found guilty by a jury at London's Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments, following a plot to bowl no-balls to order during the 2010 Lord's Test against England.
Amir had pleaded guilty to the same charges last month, and all three will be sentenced on Wednesday.
In a statement released by the ICC after the verdict, Lorgat said: "The ICC takes no pleasure from the fact that these players stepped outside not only the laws of the game but also the criminal laws of the country in which they were participating.
"In addition to constituting offences under the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code, for which sporting sanctions have been imposed, such conduct has now been shown to constitute criminal behaviour for which serious criminal sanctions can also be imposed.
"We hope that this verdict is seen as a further warning to any individual who might, for whatever reason, be tempted to engage in corrupt activity within our sport.
Disappointing
"I reiterate the ICC has a zero-tolerance attitude towards corruption and that we will use everything within our power to ensure that any suggestion of corrupt activity within our game is comprehensively investigated and, where appropriate, robustly prosecuted."
Lorgat also confirmed that the trio's existing ICC bans will remain unaffected whatever Wednesday's outcome.
The ICC returned their own ruling on the case in February. Butt was given a 10-year ban, five years of which were suspended; Asif was banned for seven years, two of which were suspended; and Amir was banned for five years.
Yawar Saeed, Pakistan's team manager last summer when the corruption was first alleged, told
ESPN Cricinfo: "It is a very disappointing and sad day for us in one way, for the players and for Pakistan cricket to be caught up in criminal proceedings.
"But they did something wrong and they had to pay the price for it."
Sports minister Hugh Robertson said: "There needs to be a global effort on sports betting integrity and this is something that the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has taken a lead on, heading up a high-level working group that I sit on."
The players were caught after an undercover reporter recorded UK-based sports agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, boasting of how he could arrange for Pakistan cricketers to rig games for money.
