ICC to review its anti-corruption measures

Cape Town:

The ICC on Tuesday termed the recent spot-fixing allegations involving Pakistani players as a "warning" and said it will recommend a wide-ranging and, if necessary, independent review of the current anti-corruption measures to maintain the integrity of the sport.

In a statement issued after a meeting of International Cricket Council's Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) here, ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat said the governing body would try to engage governments in its bid to tackle curruption in the game.

"It is not enough that the ICC is regarded by other sporting organisations as a leader in the battle against corruption in sport. We must continue to assess and, where necessary, improve our processes. The recent allegations have reminded everyone of the need to remain vigilant and to ensure public confidence in our sport," Lorgat said.

"CEC has wisely recommended a thorough review of all our procedures and protocols and that is something which is already underway. I am especially keen to engage with governments to consider the regulation of betting and also to consider the accreditation of player representatives or agents," he said.

Reaffirming ICC's zero-tolerance stance against any form of corruption, the committee supported ICC's decision to provisionally suspend Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif -- in the face of the recent spot-fixing allegations against the trio during the Lord's Test.

"While the present investigations are ongoing we will not discuss or comment on any specific issues but this incident is a warning for all of us. We must heed those warnings and heed them quickly," Lorgat said.

The ICC CEO also criticised a section of the media for its irresponsible reporting during the spot-fixing saga and said such acts had led to unfair and unsubstantiated allegations against some players.

"It is important for the media to be responsible when reporting on matters of corruption in our sport. The reputation and safety of a player is also paramount and to suggest anything untoward without any substantiation or firm evidence is irresponsible and most unfair on a player," Lorgat said.

Lorgat's outburst against the media came after some reports in British newspapers claimed that a leading Sri Lankan player was under ICC's radar for his links with illegal bookmakers.

The reports also claimed that cricket's governing body has prepared a secret dossier of 29 suspected players who were involved in spot-fixing during the Indian Premier League 2 in South Africa last year.