Corruption commission to weed out match-fixers
By Ron Wall
11 January 1999
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, Jan 11 (AFP) - The International Cricket
Council set up a three-man panel on Monday to hunt match-fixers.
``We certainly have a serious problem on our hands,'' the chief
executive of the sport's governing body, David Richards, said of
allegations of bribery and betting that have bedevilled cricket for
the last four years.
But he insisted the executive board did not consider match-fixing was
rampant despite investigations into betting in India, Pakistan and
Australia.
``The view of the board is that this is not rampant throughout the
game,'' he said.
A three-man Code of Conduct Commission, to be set up by February 28,
will be empowered to tell national cricket boards to dig out the
truth.
``If the ICC is not satisfied with the outcome of any review the
Commission would have the authority to carry out its own review and
apply sentences,'' Richards said.
``Any person found guilty of match-fixing can expect to be put out of
the game for a very long period, if not altogether,'' he added.
He denied the ICC had won a power struggle with national cricket
boards.
``We have been unfairly criticised in the past for being a toothless
tiger. In 1999 there is now a recognition the ICC has a role to play
to ensure each of the cricket boards exercise its sovereign rights in
a uniform manner and in the interests of world cricket,'' he said.
He described the new relationship between national cricket boards and
the ICC as a partnership.
He said the nine Test-playing countries represented at the ICC
executive board meeting had unanimously approved the move.
``This was an historic meeting. We have taken a very, very positive
step forward,'' he added.
The ICC expected to receive full reports into betting inquiries in
Pakistan, Australia and India by the end of May.
``We'd like to resolve these matters fairly quickly to restore the
dignity and harmony of cricket,'' Richards said.
He said the ICC could reopen the inquiry into former Pakistan captains
Wasim Akram and Salim Malik, Ejaz Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed and Waqar
Younis if unsatisfied with the Pakistan government-appointed judicial
commission finding.
Malik was accused by Australian players Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and
Tim May of offering them 200,000 US dollars to throw a match four
years ago. Warne and Waugh admitted publicly last month, however, they
had taken money from an Indian bookmaker in 1994.
Pakistan judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum has adjourned his hearing till
January 16 while he hears from representatives who cross-examined
Warne and Mark Waugh in Melbourne last Friday and Saturday.
Warne and Waugh blotted their copybook when the Australian Cricket
Board was forced to admit last month they had been fined for taking
11,000 US dollars from an Indian bookmaker for pitch and weather
information.
Richards said he did not expect any further action over Warne and Mark
Waugh.
``My general feeling is you can't be tried twice for the same crime,''
he said.
As a general rule each national cricket board will run its own inquiry
into allegations of match-fixing by setting up an independent judicial
process whose structure and composition must be approved by the ICC.
All findings must be submitted to the ICC Code of Conduct Commission
which can ratify the findings, recommend the penalty be increased, ask
for a review of any issue, or quite simply carry out its own
investigation with the power to impose binding penalties.
The ICC commission also gives whistle-blowers the opportunity to have
allegations investigated.
``If anyone was uncomfortable about going to his own cricket board with
any allegations they could come to the ICC commission,'' Richards said.
``It has been very frustrating these last four years because we have
heard a lot of allegations without any proof,'' he added.
The penalties for match-fixing and bribery will be decided at the
ICC's Annual Conference on June 23-24.
Australian Cricket Board president Denis Rogers welcomed the move. ``We
are delighted with the outcome,'' he said.
But he also stressed the consensus was that match-fixing was not rife.
``We do not regard it as being epidemic,'' he said.
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