The International Cricket Council (ICC) is probing up to six allegations of corruption in Abu Dhabi T10 League, Daily Mail reported on Saturday (January 7).
Leading names from world cricket such as Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Alex Hales, Dawid Malan and Andre Russell had featured in the tournament. Among the Indians, S Sreesanth, Suresh Raina and Stuart Binny were part of the competition.
As per the report, ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) received more than a dozen allegations of corruption during the course of the tournament and is probing up to six alleged charges of corrupt activity.
The apex body is investigating the betting activity that took place. It has been said that around $18 million was put into bet during the league. Each match saw betting range of around $1 million.
The event was entirely sponsored by betting companies and it is strongly claimed that the franchise owners have dictated the bowling and batting orders of the team and star cricketers were dropped at short notice. It is also been found that many batters threw their wickets away with inexplicable shots.
It has also been brought to notice that only a few spectators attended the matches but the number of bets placed is quite high.
“Scattered across the stands are men, predominantly from Asia, using multiple phones, earphones plugged in, relaying every bit of the action down the line. I meet men from Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Dhaka, and while some are too busy or simply unwilling to speak, a few speak up, bragging about how easy it is to make money,” SportsMail correspondent stated in the report.
“Some of these men are ‘pitch-siding’, where live events are communicated to someone who can influence the betting market in real time before the TV coverage catches up. But others are there to ensure orders are followed. Sometimes these people know which players are being controlled and they know the script. They are looking out for pre-arranged signs — such as a batsman removing his helmet or a glove — to signal that the fix is on. In numerous off-the-record conversations, I hear about players being approached in hotels and bars,” he added.
