Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer are to return home to Pakistan from England, their lawyers said.

The three men - charged under the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Code and currently suspended by their sport's world governing body - were questioned by police under caution last week.

Their solicitors Addleshaw Goddard on Friday morning released a statement, on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the three players.

The statement read: "The Metropolitan Police has been notified that Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt will return to Pakistan later this morning.

"The players are looking forward to being reunited with their families. They remain available to co-operate fully with the police investigation and have each given undertakings to return to the UK if required to do so."

The statement also denied reports that Asif will seek asylum in the UK.

Pakistan, meanwhile, were set to continue their tour of England with the first Natwest Series match against their hosts in Chester-le-Street.

The corruption controversy has engulfed the Pakistan cricket team during their tour of England.

Businessman Mazhar Majeed is accused of accepting £150,000 to arrange for Butt, Asif and Aamer to deliberately bowl no-balls during the fourth Test at Lord's.

All three deny any wrongdoing.

Majeed has also been arrested and released on bail without charge.

The cricketers were left out of the squad for the two Twenty20 internationals at Cardiff and for the forthcoming five-match one-day series prior to the ICC provisionally suspending them while their own investigation into the claims is ongoing.

Yesterday it was revealed that a fourth player, bowler Wahab Riaz, will be questioned by police on Tuesday in relation to the allegations of corruption.

Police said the men had agreed to return to assist the inquiry in "due course".

A spokesman said: "We can confirm that we have been made aware that the three Pakistani cricketers interviewed under caution on Friday September 3 intend to leave the United Kingdom today and have given an undertaking through their solicitor to return to assist the Metropolitan Police Service inquiry in due course."

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