MacLaurin: No doubts about Stewart's honesty

"He has said to us that he has had no involvement in this sort of thing at all.

"We had to pass this over to Sir Paul because it is an international matter. So Sir Paul has it now, but the England and Wales Cricket Board has cleared Alec completely."

Lord MacLaurin dismissed suggestions that the ECB was risking its own reputation by giving such unequivocal backing to Stewart before the allegations have been investigated by Sir Paul's team.

"I know Alec well and I asked him some very specific questions along with the chief executive and the chairman of selectors and he was absolutely categoric in denying any involvement in this sort of thing at all.

"I believe Alec Stewart, but as it was an international situation we had to refer it through to Sir Paul and Sir Paul is now dealing with it."

Stewart has been appointed to captain England in the second Test against Pakistan next week with regular skipper Nasser Hussain unavailable due to a broken thumb.

Stewart was visibly shaken in Pakistan

"I saw Lord Condon in the New Year and he asked me not to comment on anything, and that's how it will be," he said.

"But what I will say is what I said at the time when it first broke is that I'm happy to co-operate if and when asked by Lord Condon."

I am going co-operate as I said back in November, if and when asked to do so."

The allegations against him first surfaced during England's tour of Pakistan last winter.

He was among a group of leading players, also including Brian Lara, Mark Waugh, Arjuna Ranatunga, Aravinda de Silva and Martin Crowe, named in a report by India's Central Bureau of Investigation.

In a public statement made at the time, Stewart admitted to being "totally shocked" when he learned that his name was one of those in the CBI's 162-page document.

He said he hoped that his reputation when he finished playing would be "a good one not just in England, but throughout the world."

Stewart's form with the bat suffered in Pakistan, where he made only 99 runs in the three Tests, with a top score of 29.

But he had put the matter behind them by the time England reached Sri Lanka for the second leg of their winter tour.

He has played 109 Tests and 140 one-day internationals and was awarded an MBE in 1998.

Lord MacLaurin, meanwhile, has repeated that any England player found guilty of involvement in match-fixing can expect a life ban.