ICC launches probe into corruption leak

Global cricket governing body clears McCullum of any wrongdoing.

WELLINGTON:

The International Cricket Council (ICC) launched an urgent inquiry on Wednesday into how Brendon McCullum’s testimony to a match-fixing investigation was leaked, while clearing the New Zealand captain of any involvement in corruption.

ICC chief executive David Richardson admitted leaks of highly confidential information undermined confidence in the organisation’s anti-corruption drive; expressing ‘deep regret’ that McCullum’s testimony became public.

“We recognise that this is a deeply concerning development for the stakeholders in the fight against corruption in the sport of cricket, and we wish to emphasise that McCullum is not under investigation in this matter,” he said.

“We are taking all steps available to us to urgently investigate how certain information in the form of statements has come to find its way into the media.”

Richardson said he wanted to “correct any misperception that he (McCullum) is somehow under suspicion”.

In yet another leak reported Wednesday, former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent’s wife Eleanor told investigators that compatriot and former great Chris Cairns allegedly recruited her husband in a match-fixing scam during the short-lived Indian Cricket League in 2008.

“Vincent and I kind of fell out about the whole ICL fixing matter, as I didn’t want him to be involved, but he kept saying, ‘don’t worry, we’re all doing it’,” she said, according to a transcript obtained by TVNZ.

Richardson did not give any time-frame for completion of the leak inquiry or the wider investigation into match-fixing, which reportedly involves games in at least five countries from 2008-2012.

Clarke confident no corruption in Aussie team

Captain Michael Clarke stressed Wednesday that no Australian teams he has played with have been involved in corruption, saying it was wrong for all cricketers to be tarred by match-fixing.

Clarke said Australian players were taught from a young age about corruption and what to be on the look-out for in terms of approaches and knew the difference between right and wrong.

“I am extremely confident about the players that I’ve played with,” he told reporters.

“For this Australian team, they all know very clearly that there’s no room for corruption in our team. A big part of our job is to uphold the integrity of our sport and I think we do that well.

Clarke refused to comment on individual players when asked about Cairns.

“I don’t think we should be tarring all the players with the same brush.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2014.

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