Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has said the International Cricket Council should make Pakistan's dope-tainted pace duo of Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif "pay heavily" if they were proven guilty of using banned drugs.
The pace duo were pulled out of the Champions Trophy in India after they tested positive for banned steroid nandrolone.
"It's not really associated with cricket but you can't be too naive to suggest that it wouldn't happen. Obviously it's here. Players know the rules and its very strict guidelines and you've got to work within those," Waugh said.
"If you step outside of it then you've got to pay the consequences. So I think if they've done the wrong thing, they'll certainly pay pretty heavily for it," he was quoted as saying by an Australian portal ABC.
Matthew Hayden, Australian Test opener, echoed Waugh's views. He said the ICC should get tough and send a clear message that drugs were not acceptable in cricket.
"We are very proud of having a clean sport that does its best to maintain the standards so that we pass onto the youngsters a clear message that drugs in our game aren't acceptable," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"We are very proud of having a clean sport that does its best to maintain the standards so that we pass onto the youngsters a clear message that drugs in our game aren't acceptable," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Mark Taylor, another former Australian captain, said Akhtar and Asif had to be dealt with appropriately.
"It's certainly disappointing for cricket and obviously disappointing for the two gentlemen involved," he said.
"People like Shoaib Akhtar bring a lot of people to the game but they do have a role to play in the game with what we're trying to teach our youngsters with what they should and shouldn't do in sport.
"Obviously (drugs) aren't a part of sport so they have to be dealt with appropriately."