London: England captain Michael Vaughan has said he wants cricketers found guilty of doping banned for life.

“If drugs have been been taken that have hugely affected your performance in a positive way, I’d go for a ban for life. You don’t want cheats in the game. You want people who are playing to (show) their talents, mental strength and the work they’ve done,” Vaughan said on BBC.

England chairman of selectors David Graveney concurred with Vaughan, even though he was not sure life ban should be handed out to the drug cheats.

“I don’t know whether it should be a life ban, I don’t know whether that stands legally,” he said. “I agree with him in principle that people who are prepared to cut corners illegally to give themselves an advantage must face a very heavy penalty,” Graveney added.

The ICC’s drive against drug-offenders gained momentum after the World Cup organisers chalked out a plan to target-test players suspected of taking illegal substances.

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said the game had been caused “a high level of embarrassment” by the episode involving the dope-tainted Pakistan pacers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif.

Former Australian captain Allan Border also welcomed the fact that both Pakistan seamers would not play in the quadrennial event. (PTI)