Match-Fixing Bombshell Rocking the Ashes
Representatives from both the English and Australian camps are firm about the fact that none of their players are involved. They voiced serious concern, but stated that there was no evidence that the third Ashes Test between England and Australia has been marred by corruption after a bombshell regarding match fixing was dropped regarding the series.
Mr Big and the Silent Man
The Sun, a British newspaper, claimed that two bookmakers, one being an Indian known only as Mr Big, had approached them offering to sell details of periods of play that were rigged during the Perth Test, which could then be wagered on to win enormous sums of money. A fair online real money pokies game this is not!
One of these two bookmakers supposedly worked on the scam with both current and former internationals, one of which was apparently a World Cup winner, and an all-rounder. The Sun said these bookmakers liaised with a fixer in Australian cricket known only as The Silent Man.
No Players from Either Team Have Been Named
No English or Australian players have been named as being involved. The Sun stated that their undercover journalists were asked for as much as £140,000 to spot fix markets like the exact amount of runs to get scored in an over. Similar things have gone on n the past in Australia, both in the games and in sportsbetting, and even in casinos.
Apparently one of the bookmakers said that before the match began, the journalist would be informed as to which over to bet on, how many runs to nominate, and the win could then be collected. When The Sun journalist was asked as to the quality of the source, he stated that the information was 100% reliable.
The ICC are Taking It Seriously
The International Cricket Council stated that they treated these revelations with utmost seriousness, and that an investigation has been launched. They added, however, that they did not believe that the match in question, that which took place on Thursday, had been tainted.
Alex Marshall, the anti-corruption chief for the ICC, stated that, after his initial assessment of the material provided, he did not see any evidence from either The Sun or the ICC’s own intelligence that suggested that the current Test match was corrupted. He further stated that, at this stage of the investigation, there was no indication that any of the players taking part in the Test had been in any kind of contact with the alleged fixers.
The English Cricket Board Will Work with the ICC
James Sutherland, chief of Cricket Australia, was in full agreement with the seriousness of the allegations, but said that he remained confident, based on the information within a dossier handed to the ICC, that there was no reason to suspect the Ashes series was subject to corrupt activities. He added that all of the players were educated regularly on the massive risks any kind of corruption brought with it.
The England Cricket Board has promised to work closely with the ICC, but stands alongside the Australian organization in terms of insisting that there is no suggestion that any of the English cricket players are involved in this in any way.
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