Five international captains reported of being approached by bookies last year, reveals ICC
The head of ICC’s anti-corruption unit Alex Marshall has stated that five international cricket captains have reported suspicious approaches by bookies last year. He has also mentioned that four of them represent nations that are established as full-members of the international council.
With spot-fixing an ever-present issue in international cricket, ICC wants to maintain a higher level of discipline concerning the issue. Recently, Afghanistan player Mohammad Shahzad was reported of being approached by bookies persuading him to hold his skills in the Afghanistan Premier League which will begin in August.
Marshall has revealed that T20 give a major boost to the acts of spot-fixing. According to the reports, he has said that four captains out of five, who were reported of suspicious behaviour, are from nations which are full members of ICC. According to him, most of the bookies involved are from India.
“We cannot give out the names but there have been five international captains who reported suspicious approaches,” Marshall told TOI.
“That doesn’t mean they operate out of India. They are all over the world. And they love T20 cricket as it is easier for them to spot-fix little periods of the game.”
As mentioned in the annual report of ICC, there were a total of 32 investigations last year. Four former cricketers are also being investigated in various issues surrounding spot-fixing.