Indo-Pak World Cup semi 'fixed' claims bookie

World cricket was plunged into turmoil once again as the spectre of match-fixing surfaced following a Sunday Times report  that claimed last year's World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan at Mohali was rigged.

India had won the semifinal match in which the number of catches dropped by the Pakistan team had become a talking point.

The two sides will renew their rivalry when they clash in the Asia Cup on March 18, their first meeting since the World Cup which was won by India.

Undercover reporters working for The Sunday Times captured Vicky Seth, described as "an influential Delhi bookmaker", boasting that he could fix big international events such as Test matches, Twenty20s, and games in both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Bangladesh Premier League.

The reporter had in 2010 exposed three Pakistani cricketers, who were later convicted, for indulging in "spot-fixing" in the News of the World newspaper.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to investigate claims that Indian bookmakers are fixing the results of England county games and international fixtures.

Asked to react, the head of media and communications at the ICC, Colin Gibson, said: "We don't comment on ICC's anti-corruption and security unit matters."

He added the "spokesman" quoted by the UK's Sunday Times was neither him nor any of his colleagues.

The newspaper's investigation has suggested that the bookmakers offer thousands of pounds to the players. About £44,000 to batsmen for slow scoring, £50,000 for bowlers who concede runs and £750,000 for a player or official who can guarantee a match outcome.

The report quoted Seth as saying a Bollywood actress, who was not named, was used by bookies as a honeytrap to tempt county cricketers into corruption.

The report asserted: "The ICC is aware of the activities of an actress, suspected of attempting to subvert players."

The bookie also claimed that "big money" is to be made in Test matches and the Indian Premier League.

Meanwhile, a source at the ICC pointed to the statement issued by Ravi Sawani, the ICC anti-corruption and security unit's chief investigator at the time, who denied there was anything suspicious about the Indo-Pak game and recorded that no investigation was needed or carried out. Sawani was last year credited with nailing the three Pakistani cricketers for spot-fixing and has since left ICC.

Seth is said to have boasted match-fixing "will always carry on in cricket". He said, "There is just so much money involved and it's easy to do as long as people don't talk".

He reportedly told the paper that English county cricket was a growing market for fixing since the matches were low profile and were not being intensely monitored.

Another bookie, known as Monubhai, claimed he had worked with players from most of the main cricketing nations to fix games, and had recently been offered a chance to sign up New Zealanders.

"I was invited to strike a deal with some New Zealanders but I didn't go. The IPL starts on April 4, then everyone will be doing it," he said.

Last year three Pakistan cricketers were convicted of criminal charges for conspiring to bowl no-balls during a 2010 Test match against England.

And last month, English county cricketer Mervyn Westfield was given a four-month prison term after admitting he received £6,000 to concede at least 12 runs in his first over in a 2009 game.

Former Black Caps cricketer Chris Cairns is involved in a court battle over allegations of match-fixing made against him by ex-Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi.

Cairns, 41, is claiming damages over Modi's 2010 Twitter posting that claimed Cairns was axed from the Indian Cricket League for match-fixing in 2008.

Meanwhile, former England captain Graham Gooch has called on the cricketing world to react decisively and with one voice to combat the growing threat of match-fixing.

Gooch, England's batting coach, has been saddened by the recent spate of revelations and wants the game's powerbrokers to unite in action against the problem.

"It's very sad that these stories keep surfacing," said Gooch, who is with the England side in Sri Lanka ahead of their forthcoming Test series. "Everyone now should be on their guard. It's a challenge for the game of cricket to put their house in order."

Gooch added: "The authorities all around the world - the ICC, the ECB, the other cricket boards, should all be working collectively together to get things right and make sure their players are well educated as to the dangers that are lurking out there.

"That's the world we live in, not just in cricket but in other sports and in life generally. There are people who are up to no good who are trying to make a profit from these things."

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