ICC demands raw footage of Al Jazeera’s fresh spot-fixing claims

Al Jazeera channel’s website stated that “the evidence, from 2011 and 2012, points to a small group of England players allegedly carrying out spot-fixes in seven matches".

International Cricket Council | Twitter

In a documentary released by Al Jazeera on Sunday (October 21), the fresh accusations of spot-fixing has once again hit the international cricket. However, ICC refuted the “assertion” that it does not take corruption in the sport seriously and questioned the broadcaster’s refusal to share the raw footage.

As per a report in PTI, Al Jazeera channel’s website stated that “the evidence, from 2011 and 2012, points to a small group of England players allegedly carrying out spot-fixes in seven matches; Australia players in five matches; Pakistan players in three, with players from other teams carrying out spot-fixes in one match."

“As with the first programme we have and will continue to ask for the cooperation of the broadcaster. We have made repeated efforts to engage with the broadcaster as it can play such a crucial part in the full and thorough investigation it has called for,” ICC Anti-Corruption GM Alex Marshall said in a statement.

“We do welcome the commitment from the broadcaster to share the files with Interpol and, I hope, other law enforcement agencies who can act upon the information and support us in ridding the sport of these criminals,” he added.

The channel’s report also alleged that the matches in which spot-fixes were carried out included an England-India clash at Lord’s Cricket Ground, a South Africa-Australia match in Cape Town and several games during England’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

“The files suggest that the suspected fixes were usually carried out by batsmen who agreed to underperform. Some of the world’s most famous players were batting when the fixes allegedly occurred. Many of the matches appear to include multiple fixes, making a total of 26 fixes in the 15 matches,” said the report.

The channel claimed that its dossier includes images of a Dubai-based match-fixer Aneel Munawar and his associates hovering and purportedly talking to international cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Umar Akmal during the World T20 in Sri Lanka in 2012. However, the channel clarified that there is no suggestion of these players’ involvement in any wrongdoing.

“As you would expect we will again take the contents of the programme and any allegations it may make seriously and will investigate fully. However, I must refute the assertion that cricket does not take the issue of corruption seriously, we have more resources than ever before working to rid our sport of corruption,” Marshall said.

“The investigation into these allegations has already commenced and will run alongside a number of other live unrelated investigations. When considering the claims, we will work with professional independent betting analysts,” he concluded.

(With PTI inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 22 Oct, 2018

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