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The ICC has never before prosecuted a case for so-called spot fixing - where a player agrees to perform to a pre-arranged order during a match - under its recently revamped anti-corruption code, so we are in new territory here.

Salman Butt arrives back in Pakistan after being banned for a minimum of five years. Photo: AP

And when one compares the charges here with the seriousness of the offences committed by , Mohammed Azharuddin and Salim Malik a decade ago, all of which led to lifetime bans, bowling a few no-balls hardly seems worthy of such punishment.

Lorgat and the head of the ICC's anti-corruption unit both said they believed match fixing was more serious.

Flanagan, the former chief constable of Northern Ireland, likened it to the varying degree of assault offences, with match fixing - conspiring to alter the outcome of a sporting contest - at the top of the scale and spot fixing considered less serious.

But that's a distinct change in tone from the language used privately by the ICC and its officials in the last few months.

They have talked of zero tolerance, and while this is a cliche which sounds tough but can be interpreted in so many different ways, there can be no doubt that if a a player is being motivated by anything other than the desire to win then sport is lost.

That view was certainly reflected by senior figures in the game and former players on Sunday, including the ex-England captains and who both questioned whether the game would ever really root out the problem unless it was prepared to really show it means business.

The anti-corruption tribunal had a duty to be fair and proportionate and, based on the evidence they heard, they probably have been.

But, despite declaring themselves satisifed with the outcome, the ICC will be wondering if the bans handed down on Saturday will really make players think twice before they consider deliberately throwing their wicket away or overstepping the .