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England - Andrew Strauss on Thursday night described cricket's match-fixing scandal as "a cancer in the game", according to a report in The Sun's website.
England's captain was speaking as another Pakistani player - left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz - was told he faces questioning from Scotland Yard on September 14.
Wahab will take the total of Pakistanis quizzed by the police to five and Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have already been suspended by the ICC.
Strauss does not play Twenty20 cricket so he missed the miserable events at Cardiff earlier this week.
But he was an alarmed TV viewer as England twice thrashed a pathetic Pakistan team in a near-empty ground and against the background of more corruption allegations.
Strauss said: "Every one of these allegations hurts the game of cricket more.
"Every cricketer in the world has received a short, sharp slap in the face about where this game is at the moment and where it needs to go in the future.
"We must try to iron out these allegations because they are a cancer that can spread and devalue the game."
He said: "If these things are proved then it will make me think whether games were strictly as I saw them.
"I can understand people being reluctant to pay to watch matches now.
"The allegations have overshadowed the cricket but we realise our responsibility as players is to get out on the pitch and play well.
"Despite these allegations, I maintain that cricket generally is a very clean sport.
"I don't worry for the future of the game of cricket. It has survived many controversies over the years."
England's captain was speaking as another Pakistani player - left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz - was told he faces questioning from Scotland Yard on September 14.
Wahab will take the total of Pakistanis quizzed by the police to five and Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have already been suspended by the ICC.
Strauss does not play Twenty20 cricket so he missed the miserable events at Cardiff earlier this week.
But he was an alarmed TV viewer as England twice thrashed a pathetic Pakistan team in a near-empty ground and against the background of more corruption allegations.
Strauss said: "Every one of these allegations hurts the game of cricket more.
"Every cricketer in the world has received a short, sharp slap in the face about where this game is at the moment and where it needs to go in the future.
"We must try to iron out these allegations because they are a cancer that can spread and devalue the game."
He said: "If these things are proved then it will make me think whether games were strictly as I saw them.
"I can understand people being reluctant to pay to watch matches now.
"The allegations have overshadowed the cricket but we realise our responsibility as players is to get out on the pitch and play well.
"Despite these allegations, I maintain that cricket generally is a very clean sport.
"I don't worry for the future of the game of cricket. It has survived many controversies over the years."
