Rise of Twenty20 cricket increases potential for match-fixing, ICC says
ICC says popularity of Twenty20 and Indian Premier League has attracted betting mafia to the game, and heightened risk of match-fixing
As the Twenty20 domestic champions battle it out for supremacy in South Africa, alarm bells are ringing that the proliferation of such tournaments has "considerably increased the risk" of match-fixing.
Less than a decade after the 20-over game made its debut in England, every major cricketing country now has its own T20 tournament, attracting new fans and lucrative sponsorship deals - and the attention of illegal betting syndicates.
An Indian TV sting last week, in which six South Asian umpires were shown to be allegedly open to bribery, was just the latest in a line of scandals to have hit the sport, especially T20 cricket.
A recent review commissioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) into its anti-corruption activities was unequivocal in pinpointing where the greatest threat to cricket's integrity lies.
"The view of those consulted is that the arrival of T20 cricket and the Indian Premier League [IPL] has considerably increased the risk of match-fixing and spot-fixing," said the review, led by former Hong Kong solicitor general Bertrand de Speville.
The best-known tournament is the IPL, a six-week jamboree infused with the glamour of Bollywood stars as well as the biggest names in world cricket.