Pakistan test captain Salman Butt and his two opening bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have withdrawn from the tour of Britain while investigations into alleged corruption continue.

Pakistan High Commissioner Wajid Shamsul Hasan told reporters in London the trio had asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to withdraw them from a seven-match one-day series against England because of the mental torture they had undergone.

They said they are extremely disturbed at what has happened, Hasan said. They mentioned that they are entirely innocent.

Hasan said he believed in the players' innocence and added Pakistan could take legal action to defend them.

British police confiscated the three players' mobile phones following allegations of corruption in a British newspaper. They were accused of taking bribes to fix incidents in the fourth test against England which finished at Lord's last Sunday.

Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed told reporters on Thursday the three players would be replaced.

We will ask for three replacements, Saeed told reporters before a one-day warmup match against English county Somerset.

The T20 squad for two games will remain as it is here this morning, this means 13 people. For the one-day internationals subsequently we will be asking for replacements to make up the squad of 16 again.

Pakistan play two Twenty20 matches against England in Cardiff starting on Sunday followed by five 50 overs games.

The boys will focus on the cricket and we are here to play good cricket, Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi told Sky television.

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke said the board welcomed the decision to withdraw Butt, Amir and Asif.

As chairman of the ICC's (International Cricket Council) Pakistan task team I look forward to working with Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and everyone involved in taking forward cricket in Pakistan, Clarke said in a statement read to reporters.

Clarke has called for an ICC team to visit Pakistan, which has not hosted international cricket since militant gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in March last year.

(Editing by Jon Bramley)

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