In a sensational revelation, British newspaper The Sun alleged two bookmakers, including an Indian “Mr Big”, had offered to sell it details of rigged periods of play in the Test in Perth which could be bet on to win huge sums.
The tabloid said their undercover reporters were asked for up to £140,000 ($187,000, 158,000 euros) to “spot fix” markets such as the exact amount of runs scored in an over.
“Before match. I will tell you this over, this runs and then you have to put all the bets on that over,” one of the bookmakers was quoted as saying.
One of them claimed to have worked on the scam with former and current internationals including a World Cup-winning all-rounder. The International Cricket Council said the revelations were of “grave concern” and an investigation had been launched, but it did not believe the match.
Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said the allegations were serious, but he was confident, based on the dossier handed to the ICC, there was no reason “to suspect that this Test match or indeed the Ashes series as a whole is subject to corrupt activities”.
