Indian fixers reveal bookies’ ‘multi-million pound plot to rig Third Ashes Test’
- Cricket chiefs are investigating after two men claimed to be able to fix the Ashes.
- One man said he knew which overs to bet on and how many runs will be scored.
- He revealed how corrupt players make signs to signal that the fix is going ahead.
Cricket bosses have launched an urgent probe after two Indian men claimed they were able to fix the Third Ashes Test.
The ICC is now investigating after two men claimed they were able to fix the Ashes (pictured here, the Second Test at the Adelaide Oval)
One of the men – known as the Indian Mr Big – claimed to know which overs to bet on and how many runs will be scored.
The Sun filmed the two alleged fixers, Sobers Joban and Priyank Saxena, discussing the Third Test which starts in Perth on Thursday morning.
The pair offered private information about sessions in the match which were rigged and said there was the potential to win millions of pounds.
The men were filmed by the newspaper saying that some corrupt players make a sign to illustrate that the premeditated fix is going ahead.
Some of the gestures include a batsman changing his gloves or removing his helmet and putting it back on. Other signs include a bowler wearing a long-sleeve top.
Once the signal is made, those who are involved in the fix and who are sitting in the crowd alert the bookies and bet millions of pounds into the underground Indian betting market, The Sun reports.
The newspaper claims they were asked for £138,000 to ‘spot fix’ some of the betting markets, such as the number of runs scored in a particular over.
No current England stars were mentioned during their conversations.
Cricket Australia last night released a lengthy statement and said the allegations in the newspaper report ‘are of serious concern’.
Both Joban, a former state cricketer, and Saxena, a bookmaker and businessman, were covertly filmed in Delhi and Dubai during the newspaper’s four-month investigation. Joban revealed that some players followed certain scripts and explained that they are able to score an exact number of runs per over and finish on a particular figure. He also said some players would be able to fix when a wicket would fall and if a team chose to bat or ball after the coin toss at the start of the match.
He told the undercover reporter: ‘I will give you work in Ashes Test. Session runs.
‘Maybe day one, two, three — we have two session work, one session costs 60lakh rupees (£69,000), two sessions 120lakh rupees (£138,000).
‘Right now if I tell you he want one crore (£116,000), he might want five crores (£580,000).’
The two men claimed they were able to fix the Ashes (pictured here, the second test at Adelaide
Saxena added that the offer was confirmed ‘one thousand per cent’. He later revealed he had spoken to an Australian fixer, knows at The Silent Man.
He told the newspaper that an attempt to fix a score and match was due in the middle of the Ashes and he later confirmed that the fix attempt was going ahead.
Joban also said he is in contact with South African, Pakistan and Australian players and he alleged a Test cricketer was paid £175,000 to bowl a wide during a game.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson said: ‘The allegations raised by media outlets are of serious concern.
‘Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach against anybody trying to bring the game into disrepute.
‘Cricket Australia will co-operate fully with any ICC Anti-Corruption Unit investigation.
‘Australian cricket has a long-standing, proactive approach to sports integrity management and Cricket Australia has a dedicated Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to prevent corruption within Australian domestic competitions, including the BBL.
‘In addition to this, all players participating in CA sanctioned competitions, including the BBL, are required to complete an anti-corruption education session before they can compete. CA works closely with the ICC ACU on all international fixtures played in Australia. Players are able to report any suspicions they have on a confidential basis and in the past there has been a strong Australian player culture to do so.’
The International Cricket Council has been informed about the investigation and said they are taking the allegations ‘seriously’.
An ICC spokesman told the paper: ‘These are serious allegations and of grave concern.
‘Our anti-corruption unit will continue working to uphold integrity in cricket focusing on education, prevention and disruption of any attempts to corrupt, including in relation to the third Test in Australia.’
Courtesy Daily Mail