ICC vow to root out cheats

London - Cricket's governing body vowed on Friday to do whatever necessary to root out cheats and preserve the integrity of the game after suspending three Pakistan players over match-fixing claims.

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat told a news conference that the case was now the subject of a criminal investigation and spoke of his "extreme disappointment".

"We will do whatever we can to preserve the integrity of the game," he added.

The three - captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir - had been suspended by the ICC on Friday on "various charges", the body's anti-corruption chief Ronnie Flanagan said. He declined to detail the charges.

"We have come to the conclusion that they have a case to answer," said Flanagan.