Miandad, who is the director-general cricket in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said he felt saddened by the damage the spot-fixing scandal had done to the image of Pakistan cricket.

"I am hurt by the damage caused to our cricket and our image by the sanctions imposed on Salman, Asif and Aamir, but it is not possible they were working alone with Mazhar Majeed," Miandad said in an interview.

"I am convinced that there is a entire mafia working behind spreading the menace of spot-fixing in our sport," Miandad, a veteran of 124 Tests, said.

"I don't believe that only three players can do spot-fixing. I suspect that a lot of other people are involved in this racket," he added. Miandad urged the three players, who have faced sanctions from the International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal, to co-operate with the authorities in exposing the mafia.

"These three should expose this mafia and help the PCB as because of them, Pakistan cricket has got a bad name."

The former national coach said that he would soon meet with the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt to discuss some proposals that would ensure such incidents didn't take place in future.

Miandad also noted that in order to stop the spot-fixing menace, authorities needed to carry out a widespread operation in the cricket world and expose the players who are corrupt. Butt was last week banned for 10 years by the anti-corruption tribunal on charges of spot-fixing, while pacers Muhammad Asif was banned for seven years and Muhammad Aamir for five years by the tribunal.

Miandad had no doubt that the three players had let Pakistan cricket and the PCB down by not admitting their guilt early on when they were accused of spot-fixing by the 'News of the World' newspaper.

"These players should have told the PCB the entire truth instead of continuing to insist they were innocent," he said.