Cricketing betting scandal: Cheats preyed on Australians Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson

Cricket Australia confirmed Lee and Johnson were approached at the Australian team's London hotel by a suspected gangster linked to illegal Indian bookmakers.

The same cheat had already offered dinner and drinks to Shane Watson and Brad Haddin.

Lee's high profile on the subcontinent made him an obvious target for bookies looking for inside information on the Australian team.

Johnson's status as the strike bowler for Australia also made him valuable.

Lee was with Shane Watson, Johnson and Stuart Clark at the bar and the players immediately rejected the offer and reported the incident to both Australian team officials and the ICC anti-corruption unit.

The man is under investigation by cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council ICC.

Sky News reported last night that customs officials in the UK had arrested three people in conncection with the betting scandal, including the fixer behind the alleged scam, Mazhar Majeed.

Mr Majeed was previously arrested and later released on bail by Scotland Yard detectives after News of the World published footage of him receiving £150,000 ($260,000) cash from an undercover reporter, in return for allegedly bribing Pakistan cricketers to alter specific plays during a Test match between Pakistan and England.

Three Pakistani players - team captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - were also summoned to London to be quizzed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and the country's high commissioner.

Team manager Yawar Saeed, who made the announcement, said the players were then expected to return to the squad in Somerset, southwestern England.

The head of cricket's governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC) told Sky News that the players allegedly involved in the scam had been monitored by its anti-corruption unit for months.

Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the ICC, said he wants any disciplinary action to be taken within a matter of days if possible.

Meanwhile, former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson says the players at the centre of the match-fixing allegations  may be the subject of extortion threats.

“Extortion is widespread in Pakistan. They kidnap people ... particularly in a place like Karachi, which is virtually run by the local mafia,” Mr Lawson told Fox Sports.

The sting by UK newspaper News Of The World revealed Pakistan players were involved in deliberately bowling three no-balls against England at the order of a "fixer" to win bets by bookmakers.

It was also alleged Pakistan had thrown Tests, including a $1.5 million payday for losing against Australia in Sydney this year.

Recalling his meeting with the suspected gangster, Watson told The Australian yesterday: "It was more about taking us out and wanting to have some fun in London."

"That was when it got a little bit more upfront and a little bit more intense and just a little bit different to how fans are."

The Australian asked Watson what "fun" meant.

"That's what I was thinking myself, maybe getting me in situations that I wasn't able to get out of," he said.

The head of  the ICC told Sky News that the players allegedly involved in the scam had been monitored by its anti-corruption unit for months.

The ICC is investigating over 80 matches involving Pakistan - potentially providing an unwanted distraction for this summer's Ashes combatants Australia and England.

While there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by players from either country, police plan to leave no stone unturned in their inquiry and will investigate all of Pakistan's matches over the past 12 months.

Any international cricketer who's played against Pakistan in that period could be interviewed.

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