Former International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani has expressed his surprise on the silence maintained by the sport’s governing body on the match-fixing claims made by former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne.
Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in a career spanning 18 years, claimed that his teammates have been involved in match-fixing for almost two decades. The comments from the former batsman drew mixed reactions, with many of his teammates including Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene, besides Sri Lanka Cricket, questioning them and asking him to provide proof.
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif backed the Sri Lankan’s claims, adding that if Tillakaratne was to reveal names, a lot of former cricketers from the subcontinent will be exposed.
Joining the debate is Mani who led the ICC from 2003 to 2006, questioning the role of the governing body in the matter.
ICC gag-policy criticised
“First of all, I am surprised with the ICC’s silence on the issue,” Mani told The Express Tribune. “Tillakaratne’s statement is serious and the ICC should react accordingly. It should clear its stance on such matters. Their silence will not serve in its efforts to curb corruption. They should play
on the front-foot on this matter and their policy to keep mum is beyond my comprehension.”
Following his claims, Tillakaratne offered to reveal names of those involved in match-fixing to the ICC and Mani felt that the body’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ASCU) should avail the opportunity straight away.
“If the ASCU has not contacted Tillakaratne yet, it should not delay in acquiring information from him. You never know from where you can get credible information that can help in controlling the menace.”
However, the ICC has remained tightlipped on the matter and refused to share details of its acitivity.
“The ICC does not comment on ASCU’s issues,” ICC’s Head of Media and Communication told The Express Tribune.
Players asked to show accounts voluntarily
Meanwhile, Mani also backed former captain Imran Khan’s suggestion to keep a constant check on players and monitoring regularly of their bank accounts.
“It’s a good suggestion and I feel that the players should voluntarily give details of their accounts,” he said while recalling that the ICC once made an unsuccessful effort to keep check on players’ accounts. “In 2000, many West Indies players were found involved in a fixing scam after which the ICC decided to keep a check on their accounts. But the players went to court which ruled it a violation of human rights.”
Mani added that educating players and giving them the awareness on corruption was the only way to reduce the menace.
“Pakistan cricket has also suffered because they shut their educating programme started under Tauqeer Zia.”
Muttiah Muralitharan
“I don’t know why he said this. If somebody is making such claims, he should first give enough proof to support them, otherwise someone can sue him.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2011.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ