3 India Tests under scanner in pitch-fixing sting; BCCI, Cricket Australia to wait and watch
Test matches featuring heavyweights India and Australia could have been among those influenced by match-fixers in the last two years, a sting operation has alleged but the two Boards have decided to wait for the completion of an ongoing ICC probe before acting on the sensational claims.
The sting has been carried out by Al Jazeera channel and the matches in question are India vs Sri Lanka (Galle, July 26-29, 2017), India vs Australia (Ranchi, March 16-20, 2017) and India vs England (Chennai, December 16-20, 2016). The first and third Tests mentioned were won by India while the Ranchi encounter ended in a draw.
The allegations -- pitch could have been doctored at the behest of fixers (India vs Sri Lanka), and involvement of some Australian and England players in spot-fixing the other two games. However, no Indian player's name has cropped up in any wrongdoing.
The Indian connection to the latest scandal is former Mumbai cricketer Robin Morris, who is now alleged to be a match-fixer.
Reacting to the TV channel's claims, BCCI said it is working with the ICC anti-corruption unit.
"The BCCI has a zero-tolerance approach to any activity or act that brings the game of cricket to disrepute or mars the integrity of the game. The BCCI anti-corruption unit is working closely with the ICC anti-corruption on the alleged claims by a television channel," said the BCCI in a statement.
A BCCI official further said it would wait for the outcome of the ICC investigation before deciding on stopping Morris' pension for a 42-match first-class career.
"We believe ICC has started its probe. Let them complete that and pronounce Morris guilty. The BCCI will only act when they have the verdict in hand," a senior office-bearer of the Board said.
He also said that Morris, who has also played 51 List A matches in his career is not currently involved in any BCCI projects.
"We need to check with our Anti Corruption Unit (ACU) whether Morris' name was there on the suspect list. Secondly, he is not associated with any BCCI or state unit project currently from where we need to pull him out.
"So the only thing left is BCCI domestic cricketers' pension of Rs 22,500 (after deductions). If he is getting that pension, BCCI is well within its rights to cancel that but only after he has been proven guilty," the official said.
Morris, on his part, reportedly denied any wrongdoing and cried conspiracy before turning his mobile phone off and has deleted his Facebook account.
Cricket Australia too responded cautiously and said it would need more details before acting.
"Although not having been provided an opportunity to view the documentary or any raw footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims will be treated very seriously and fully investigated," CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said in a statement.
"Neither the ICC or Cricket Australia is aware of any credible evidence linking Australian players to corruption in the game. We urge Al Jazeera to provide all unedited materials and any other evidence to the ICC investigation team, so, if appropriate, a full and thorough investigation can be conducted," he added.
ECB Chief Executive Tom Harisson also dismissed the allegations surrounding the 2016 India-England Test in Chennai.
"There is nothing we have seen that would make us doubt any of our players in any way whatsoever," Harrison said in an ECB statement.
"The limited information we have been given has been discussed with all the England players. They emphatically deny the allegations, have stated categorically that the claims are false and they have our full support."
Harrison expressed disappointment over the TV channel not co-operating enough.
"Neither ECB nor the ICC is aware of any credible evidence connecting any England players to any form of corruption. ECB had been aware of the planned Al Jazeera documentary for some time but have not been given the full content.
"There have been repeated requests for any evidence and unedited materials to be shared with the ICC so they can fully investigate. We, like other member boards, are disappointed that Al Jazeera have not been more cooperative and responsible when making such serious allegations," he added.
In the documentary, Morris is seen introducing Galle curator Tharanga Indika to the undercover reporter and boasting about getting pitches doctored as sought by fixers.
Morris, along with former Pakistan cricketer Hasan Raza (world record holder for being youngest ever Test cricketer), is allegedly seen in the video bragging about their ability to doctor pitches through groundsmen.
Another alleged match-fixer Aneel Munawar is also seen claiming to manipulate particular sessions of the game.
The channel claims that Munawar works for the underworld. In the documentary, which is titled Cricket's Match-Fixers, Al Jazeera has alleged that each one of the predictions made by Munawar came true during the games in Ranchi and Chennai.
The channel has, however, refrained from naming the players it alleged were involved, citing legal reasons and an ongoing probe by the ICC.
