Former South Africa bowler Henry Williams has called for Mohammad Amir to be treated with compassion if found guilty of spot fixing.

Williams himself was banned for six months in 2000 for his role in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal after admitting to accepting money to underperform in a one-day international.

He believes that, if guilty, the highly promising 18-year-old Amir, who denies any wrongdoing, would have succumbed to peer pressure and must be shown leniency.

"This was a terrible offence, a disaster for cricket across the whole world," Williams said. "I think they will get life bans, which I don't think is fair, especially for this young guy Amir.

"Amir is a world-class cricketer who is 18 years old. His career lies ahead of him. At his age he shouldn't get a life ban.

"He should be fined and get a ban for two or three years. Then he should be brought back into the system because he's still young. If a young player is approached by the captain or a senior player, they should report them. But of course they will fear for their selection in the next game.