The PCB has written to the ICC asking the governing body to take strong note of Cricket Australia's comments against Pakistan.

A PCB official said the letter had been dispatched to the ICC as Sutherland's statement gave a very negative impression about Pakistan cricket and amounted to slander.

"Sutherland is the serving chief executive of Cricket Australia and basically his statement is a violation of the ICC member board's code," the official said.

Sutherland recently said the spot-fixing scandal in Britain last year would not have happened if the Pakistan Cricket Board had implemented the recommendations of the Justice (retd) Qayyum report into corruption in the 1990s.

"I would have big question marks about whether those things would have happened last year if those recommendations had been fully implemented," 'The Age' newspaper quoted Sutherland as saying.

The PCB official said the board would also take up the matter at the next ICC board meeting as it was disappointed by Sutherland's statement.

Surprisingly, Pakistan cricket found a supporter in former Indian captain Bishen Singh Bedi who criticised Sutherland's statement.

"I think it is time there was a common front against such things. Australia, England and other western boards have to realize that they cannot make such statements and maintain their holier than thou attitude," Bedi told PTI last week.