Bans disappointing but necessary: Khan

London:Cricketing great Imran Khan says the suspensions handed to three Pakistani cricketers for spot fixing are necessary for the sake of the sport.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal banned former Pakistan captain Salman Butt for 10 years, with five years suspended, bowler Mohammad Asif for seven years, with two suspended and teenage paceman Mohammad Aamer for five years.
The trio were charged over incidents during the Test against England at Lord's in August last year, when Britain's News of the World newspaper claimed the players were willing to deliberately bowl no-balls.
Khan says he is upset by the bans, but says they are essential for the future of the game.
"I am genuinely upset over the bans on three key, young and talented players," he said.
"But once the players were proven guilty a punishment has to be given for the sake of cricket in general and for the sake of Pakistan cricket in particular."
Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup, says the loss of the three key players will hurt Pakistan's chances in the upcoming World Cup tournament.
"I feel sad for Aamer, who is probably the best young fast bowler in the world at the moment and had a long way to go," he said.
"Asif is one of the best new ball bowlers and Butt is a solid opener, so with these three key players Pakistan would have done very well in the World Cup, but that is not to be."
Khan says the nation felt humiliated when the corruption case surfaced last year.
"It was great humiliation for the people of Pakistan as the kind of ignominy it brought made people more demoralised than the floods in the country," he said.
Meanwhile, the ICC has been criticised for leniency, given the expectation leading up to this ruling that the players might receive life bans.
But the world's governing body says the punishments are severe enough and "will act as a strong deterrent".
"While I am deeply saddened that this case happened in the first place, I acknowledge and commend the decision to deliver lengthy bans to all three players," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.
"Corruption in our game will never be tolerated and, once again, I reiterate our zero-tolerance approach.
"I hope this investigation, and the verdicts delivered, makes that message crystal-clear."
The start of the bans would be backdated to September 2 to include the period of provisional suspension already served by the players, the ICC said.
The players also face criminal charges and have been scheduled to appear in a UK court next month.