Alastair Cook has called on the International Cricket Council to institute mandatory life bans for all proven match-fixers.

The England captain, who will lead his team at Lord's on Thursday (9th June) in pursuit of a 3-0 whitewash over Sri Lanka in the Test series, is highly likely to be facing rehabilitated spot-fixer Mohammad Amir back at Lord's next month.

SOUNDBITE (English): Alastair Cook, England captain: (on why no change from the team that faced Sri Lanka in the last Test)- "Well we won the game and has some good performances. Concistency in selection is a big part of it I think, it gives people a chance to show what they can do in an England shirt and you want people to feel as comfortable as they can, it's never going to be perfectly comfortable when you're on the periphery I suppose of trying to cemente your place, but that's international cricket so you don't want people looking over their shoulder, and when they get a chance they get a good run."

SOUNDBITE (English): Alastair Cook, England captain- "Yeah we have certainly mentioned in the past in the dead rubbers we haven't played as well, certainly in the last two occasions, it might be more than that, that we Haven't played a good game so we have another opportunity here you know, who knows what the wicket will produce, the last three or four against Sri Lanka have been draws here; the wicket might not allow that. We've got to make sure if we want to get to where we want to, which is become the best side in the world, then these are the games in which we need to play better."

SOUNDBITE (English): Alastair Cook, England captain: (Reaction to Mohammad Amir being part of the Pakistan Test squad to face England later in the summer)- Yeah obviously it's ironic that his first test match will probably be here back at Lord's. He served his time, he was punished for what he did and quite rightly so because we have to protect the integrity of the game, but I have no problems in playing against him at all. My only thing is I think if you get caught match fixing you should be banned for life, because the punishment should be that has because we have to protect the integrity. That's not to say that Amir shouldn't come back because the rules were probably different then, but from my point of view the punishment should be s harsh that it deters people to do it, but that's from now on and if I had any say."