Corruption in cricket: Hong Kong done, ICC must now pursue England and Australia allegations
Almost five months since a shocking documentary on match-fixing at the elite level, the governing body has only Hong Kong to show for its efforts
In May this year, Al Jazeera broadcast a shocking documentary in which its undercover reporter dived headfirst into the putrid, fermenting sewage that is international cricket match-fixing.
Posing as a British businessmen working on behalf of wealthy investors that wanted to bet on fixed matches and earn millions, the reporter had unearthed what Al Jazeera claimed were the names and faces of “fixers”, details of which matches were supposed to be manipulated and the identities of players who the “fixers” claimed were puppets for whom they pulled the strings.
Watch: Cricket’s Match Fixers – Al Jazeera Investigations
The documentary shows the main “fixer”, in separate scenes, saying a handful of England and Australia players are part of the scheme to cheat fans and feed the gambling syndicates, although their names were hidden by the broadcaster.
Both matches involved India as the hosts but at no point did any of the “fixers” in the documentary talk about Indian players being part of the scam.
The three English players, through their lawyers, “categorically denied the allegations”, saying the comments were made by a known criminal, while the Australian players did not respond to Al Jazeera’s inquiries. In late August, Cricket Australia cleared the players after its own probe and demanded Al Jazeera front up with its evidence.
Two former sports corruption investigators interviewed in the documentary, Chris Eaton and Ed Hawkins, said the information provided by Al Jazeera needed immediate investigation.