Quantcast

No evidence, substance or justification: CEO

Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland responds to reports the Ashes and BBL have been targeted by bookmakers

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland says there is "no evidence, substance or justification" to suggest the current Ashes series, the BBL, or any player or official taking part in the Test matches, have been dealing with or approached by corrupt betting agents.

In response to allegations raised in the UK's The Sun newspaper just hours before the third Magellan Ashes Test began in Perth today, Sutherland revealed he had been involved in a phone conference with the ICC's anti-corruption boss Alex Marshall and head of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tom Harrison.

Sutherland said that as a result of that conversation, and the evidence that the newspaper had provided to the ICC in addition to what was published today, there was no credible suggestion that players from Australia or England were under suspicion of any involvement in corrupt activities.

However, he added that CA, along with the ICC and the ECB, maintained zero tolerance to corruption and that despite the reassurances provided today there was no complacency about the potential for illegal bookmakers to infiltrate international and domestic matches.

"Any credible allegations about corruption in the game will be taken very seriously and investigated," Sutherland said prior to play beginning at the WACA Ground today.

"There's no evidence, substance or justification based on the dossier of information the ICC has received from the news outlet based or on ICC intelligence from previous investigations.

"There's no substance to these allegations or justification to suspect that this Test match or indeed the Ashes series as a whole is subject to corrupt activities.

"(But) I don't think for one moment anyone should believe that we're complacent about this issue.

"We understand there are risks associated with corruption to sport in general and cricket and we take those risks very seriously."

A spokesman for the ECB reiterated Sutherland's comments and confirmed that no England players were under suspicion

"ECB work closely with the ICC and their Anti-Corruption Unit to protect the integrity of the international game," the spokesman said.

"We are aware of these allegations and there is no suggestion that any of the England team is involved in any way."

Today's urgent phone hook-up, which also included ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, came soon after The Sun published explosive claims purported to come from people involved in the illegal betting scene that they could manipulate outcomes within the current Ashes series.

One man, identified by the newspaper as former India state cricketer Sobers Joban who allegedly works as a middle-man between players and bookmakers, is shown in a secretly recorded video claiming he could guarantee the number of runs scored in a specific session across the first three days of the third Test.

According to the video, Joban claims that outcomes could be fixed through an Australia-based contact known as 'The Silent Man' with a wager of £69,000 ($A121,000) on the score for a single session, or £138,000 ($A242,000) for two sessions.

"I have sent the email (to Australia) and am waiting for a reply," a man purported to be Delhi-based bookmaker Priyank Saxena says in a telephone recording published by The Sun.

"When I am sure everything is confirmed then I will pass it on."

The story, which The Sun claims is the result of a four-month investigation, also alleges that players in the employ of corrupt agents work as "puppets" and communicate from on the field using subtle signals including clothing and apparel choices, changes of gear such as batting gloves and abandoning their approach to the wicket (for bowlers).

But despite allegations contained in the story that the Indian Premier League and the KFC Big Bash League were cited as competitions in which the corrupt agents wielded influence, Sutherland claimed he was unaware of any attempts to affect outcomes of top-level matches played in Australia.

"Our players, as well as being educated on the risks of corruption and their obligations under contract and under the ICC (anti-corruption) code, they've got a really strong record of reporting any approaches or suspicious activity or information that they may have," Sutherland said today.

"And those behaviours in the past are a good indicator of our confidence in our players understanding how the system works, and the importance of this matter."

Image Id: F78379908F64401E86C46DBB6DCD465E Image Caption: Spectators queue outside the WACA on the opening morning // Getty

Marshall, the former UK police chief constable who was appointed General Manager of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit earlier this year, was in Adelaide during last week's second Ashes Test as part of a series of introductory meetings with local cricket officials and the Australian Federal Police.

Marshall told journalists during an informal briefing that the Unit was currently engaged in "six or seven" live investigations into corrupt influence in international cricket and confirmed that three international captains had reported approaches from illicit sources in recent months.

While declining to provide specific details of those investigations or approaches, Marshall pointed to the proliferation of privately-run T20 leagues being staged in Asia and the Middle-East as a growing point of concern for the ICC's fight against corruption.

He also identified under-age tournaments and women's cricket leagues, especially now that many matches are being live streamed on the internet, as a potential entry point for illegal bookmakers looking to elude the scrutiny afforded international men's matches.

To help combat the influence underworld figures might be able to exert on players, the ICC's anti-corruption code has recently been bolstered to allow investigators to demand immediate access to the phones of players so that any information contained can be downloaded and examined.

Image Id: 9D01992DA2E643A0B636DE3BAFB7C9EB Image Caption: The WACA is hosting its final Ashes Test match // Getty

In conceding that the ICC have no police powers to seize property, players who refuse to hand over their devices can be deemed as refusing to co-operate with the anti-corruption code which could result in them being banned from competition for up to two years.

"From my initial assessment of the material, there is no evidence, either from The Sun or via our own intelligence, to suggest the current Test Match has been corrupted," Marshall said in an ICC statement released following this morning's telephone hook-up.

"At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this Test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.

"The allegations are wide ranging and relate to various forms cricket in several countries, including T20 tournaments.

"We will look closely at all the information as part of our investigation."


Sutherland appeared on Channel Nine's The Cricket Show during the lunch interval at the WACA, and took aim at The Sun story while adding it remained unlikely that highly-paid Test players from Australia and England would risk their careers by getting involved with illegal bookmakers.

He also cited the 2010 example of Pakistan trio Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif who were caught in a newspaper sting and found guilty of conspiring to bowl no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's, and which saw them suspended and subjected to criminal charges and custodial sentences.

"It certainly seems to be a bit of a scattergun story where there's almost a whole lot mud been thrown out there," said Sutherland, who also revealed he only learned of the allegations when they were published in the UK Thursday morning Australia time.

"Personally, I just can't see any reason why a player from Australia or England would in any way be vulnerable in this sort of situation.

"They're very well paid players, they know and understand the consequences of doing the wrong thing here.

"And let's face it, it's not so long ago that three Pakistani players were involved in something at Lord's and it ended up with years in jail. So the consequences are pretty serious for this stuff."

Q&A with ICC General Manager Anti-Corruption Alex Marshall

After your initial assessment is there any evidence of any corruption either in this Ashes match or other events mentioned by the paper?

"It is obviously very early stages and our priority on receiving everything from The Sun late last night was to consider whether the integrity of the third Ashes Test had been compromised. There is no evidence, either from The Sun or via our own intelligence, to suggest the current Test Match has been corrupted. At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this Test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.

"We are now working through the rest of the information from The Sun as part of what will be a wide-ranging investigation and we will map this against our own existing intelligence and live investigations to look for any corroboration or cross over. We are taking these allegations very seriously and will follow the correct processes of a thorough investigation. We will look for clear and usable evidence that proves or disproves the allegations made. This will include looking for corroboration, speaking to key witnesses and securing all relevant evidential material.

"This will not be concluded overnight and we will be working with ACU colleagues from Member countries to investigate every single allegation in full. We will not be making any comment in relation to the identity of any individual names in the dossier whilst this investigation is ongoing."

Has anything be referred to police and in what jurisdiction?

"Nothing has been referred as yet because we are still assessing the information. If we deem that offences have taken place in countries where match-fixing is illegal then yes we will work with the local police and report our concerns and share information to push for prosecution."

Will you be looking to utilise the ICC's new powers to download mobile phones?

"As with any investigation we will use all options available to us should we deem it necessary and appropriate. The ability to download mobile phones is one part of the investigative toolkit for us."

What happens next?

"We are conducting a live investigation and will do that by focusing on the facts, intelligence and evidence at hand. We will be looking in detail at the allegations, looking for any corroboration of what has been alleged, either from The Sun's own investigation or our own intelligence, and we will be examining whether there is any evidence which we can now use and take forward. We will do this without further speculation or comment." 

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21