England hit back at TV spot-fixing allegations
BY DEAN WILSON ENGLAND cricket chiefs have denied allegations of match fixing made in an explosive TV investigation.
The film, aired on Al Jazeera last night, claimed unnamed England players were involved in spot-fixing in seven matches dating back to 2011 and 2012.
The broadcaster says it has a taped conversation with an England player discussing payments around spot fixing.
However the ECB said the information provided by Al Jazeera was “poorly prepared” and analysis of it had cast no doubt on the integrity or behaviour of any England player”.
Al Jazeera claims to have recordings of a match-fixer, Aneel Munawar, calling in the fixes to a notorious Indian bookmaker linked to the organised crime.
The files suggest that the alleged fixes were carried out by batsmen who agreed to underperform. Out of 26 fixes in 15 matches, 25 predictions made by Munawar were correct.
Al Jazeera released a similar documentary in May alleging big matches, including India v England at Chennai in December 2016, were the subject of a spot-fixing plot.
Those allegations were dismissed as “outrageous” by England head coach Trevor Bayliss but ICC’s head of anti-corruption Alex Marshall vowed to “investigate fully”.