The ghost of spot-fixing has returned to haunt international cricket. Only, this time, the target is one of the sports’ holiest of events – The Ashes.
However, as things pan out, all the claims made by the bookies in The Sun’s investigative report may remain just that – claims.
What Does The Sun's Report Say?
British newspaper The Sun reported that two bookmakers from India had offered to sell undercover reporters from the newspaper information about spot-fixing in the third Ashes Test between Australia and England, which started in Perth on Thursday, 14 December.
The Sun said it conducted a four-month investigation, with interviews conducted at hotels in New Delhi and Dubai with two men claiming to be involved in illegal gambling.
“Before match, I will tell you this over, these runs and then you have to put all the bets on that over,” a man told The Sun in an undercover video.
One of the bookies claimed to have spot-fixed matches with former and current international cricketers, including a World Cup-winning all-rounder. They said they liaised with a fixer in Australian cricket known as ‘The Silent Man.’ The bookmakers told the reporters they had previously manipulated matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and were also targeting Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash League.
In the video, information on fixes is estimated to be worth $150,000.
However, no concrete evidence of spot-fixing actually taking place has been brought to light. No Australia or England players have been named.
What is Spot-Fixing?
Spot-fixing happens when corrupt players agree to manipulate part of a match by, for example, bowling a wide on a particular delivery or ensuring a particular run rate during a match.
The corruption does not usually affect the overall outcome of the match, but gamblers in the know can use the information to beat the betting market.
The Indian pair – secretly filmed at hotels in Dubai and Delhi during the paper's four-month investigation – claimed corrupt players would signal the fix by making a subtle gesture on the field, such as changing their gloves.
“I will give you work in Ashes Test. Session runs. Maybe day one, two, three. We have two session work, one session costs Rs 60 lakh, two sessions Rs 1.20 crore,” it cited one of the men as saying.
Spotters in the crowd then tell bookies, who bet millions in the illegal Indian betting market.
The Indian fixers claimed they could get players to follow "scripts" – such how many runs would be scored in a session or an inning, when a wicket would fall, and what a team would do if it won the toss, The Sun reported.
Is the Ashes Test Really Fixed?
The investigative report was published on the eve of the match and thus, one will never really know if the two ‘bookmakers’ were indeed capable of facilitating any spot-fixing during the Perth Test.
Following the report, though, the International Cricket Council (ICC) launched an investigation into the matter and said they found no evidence that the third Ashes Test had been "corrupted.”
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. At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this Test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.Alex Marshall, general manager, ICC Anti-Corruption Unit
Marshall said police have not been contacted over the claims.
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.Alex Marshall
Is This the First Case of Spot Fixing Claims by Bookies?
Not even close. Spot-fixing has been a big part of cricket since the turn of the century.
In 2000, South African captain Hansie Cronje was caught in the middle of a massive match-fixing scandal after he admitted to receiving large sums of money from bookies to influence the outcome of a match. Investigations into the matter revealed the involvement of Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin and also Ajay Jadeja. Both players were banned for life, but the verdict was later overturned following an appeal.
In 2010, Pakistan’s captain Salman Butt and faster bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were banned and handed jail sentences after a News of the World investigation caught them accepting money to spot-fix during a Test against England at Lord’s.
Amir, however, has since made a successful comeback to international cricket.
In 2013, spot-fixing claims rocked the IPL when three cricketers – S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, all Rajasthan Royals players – were arrested by the Delhi Police on charges of spot-fixing.
While the three have been cleared of all legal charges since, their cricket careers have been brought to an end by the BCCI after the board suspended all involved cricketers for life.
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