But he also believes England and other countries break the letter of the law.

"Bowlers around the world have effected the art of slightly manipulating the ball by little, tiny, gentle scratches, mimicking the natural wear and tear.

"I don't think it's any different to what England players and others do, countries do," said Hughes.

Hughes, a key witness for Pakistan in captain Inzamamul Haq's disciplinary hearing, said England players, "suck sweets and then rub sugary saliva on the ball, which is not permitted in the laws".

He told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "We get in a great big lather about this but it's just minor things on the ball that might or might not help it to swing a little bit and make the game more interesting.

"If we're honest about this most bowlers in the world -- of all countries -- do kind of tamper with the ball in some way or other when they're bowling with it."

Hughes, a former seam bowler who played for Middlesex and Durham, examined the ball after Pakistan were penalised for ball-tampering during the fourth Test.

Inzamam was this week cleared of ball-tampering because of a lack of "cogent evidence", although he received a four-match ban for leading the team's subsequent protest.

"There were a few minor scratches on it, which are fairly typical of a fairly old ball on a fourth-day pitch," said Hughes of the ball.

"One or two of the scratches were concentrated on one area and that slightly aroused my suspicions.

"But it was impossible to say for sure whether they got there naturally or with human intervention."

Former England spinner John Emburey, who is now Middlesex coach, told Sportsweek these methods went on in county cricket.

"It does happen. I think our players have done it. I think players from other counties have done it to try to see what reaction there is," he said.

"There will always be bowlers trying various means to try and make the ball do something.

"In the '40s, '50s and '60s it was Brylcream then we had sun cream, you've always had people picking the seam."

England seam bowler Simon Jones said reverse swing can -- and is -- achieved without tampering with the ball.

Jones mastered the art of reverse swing during last summer's Ashes series, taking 18 wickets for England.

He told the Western Mail: "People who say reverse swing is not possible without ball-tampering obviously know nothing about cricket.

"Have they ever bowled with a ball that's reversing? Have they ever bowled with a normal ball?

"If people make big statements they should be able to back them up. But I ignored those stories because I know what I did was legal.

"I would never do anything outside the laws of the game. And, anyway, how could you get away with scuffing the ball?

"In the Ashes series there was something like 40-odd cameras on the ground. You'd be picked up straight away if you tried something."