Alarm raised as spot-fixers target Perth Test
Cricket’s governing bodies last night voiced their concern over claims that Indiabased match-fixers were targeting the third Ashes Test in Perth.
According to a report in The Sun, two bookmakers offered to sell the newspaper details of rigged periods of the match which would attract millions of pounds in bets. The pair demanded up to £140,000 to ‘spot-fix’ markets, with the exact amount of runs scored in one over one of the examples.
One of the bookmakers told the newspaper’s investigators: “Before match. I will tell you this over, this runs and then you have to put all the bets on that over.”
He goes on to claim that players would indicate that the fix was on by making a pre-arranged gesture on the pitch. Spotters in the crowd would alert bookmakers.
There was no indication that any England players had been contacted.
An England and Wales Cricket Board statement read: “ECB work closely with the ICC [the International Cricket Council] and their anti-corruption unit to protect the integrity of the international game. We are aware of these allegations and there is no suggestion that any of the England team is involved in any way.”
Cricket Australia said: “The allegations raised by media outlets are of serious concern. Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach against anybody trying to bring the game into disrepute. Cricket Australia will cooperate fully with any International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption Unit investigation.”
Last week Alex Marshall, the ICC’S new chief anti-corruption investigator, was in Australia meeting with CA and Federal Police over future working links.
An ICC spokesman said: “These are serious allegations and of grave concern. Our anti-corruption unit will continue working to uphold integrity in cricket focusing on education, prevention and disruption of any attempts to corrupt, including in relation to the third Test.”
Contacts between bookmakers and cricketers have caused increasing concern for the game’s authorities ever since 2000 when South African captain Hansie Cronje was caught trying to rig the one-day series against India. He was subsequently banned for life.