20 Oct 2014

NZ Cricket considers corruption amnesty

5:35 pm on 20 October 2014

New Zealand Cricket says it's considering introducing a similar corruption amnesty to that implemented by Australian Cricket.

Australian domestic cricketers will be given an amnesty 'window' until the end of November to report any previous corruption-related information.

Players and officials can be sanctioned for failing to report a corrupt approach promptly or for failing to disclose information or evidence of a breach by a third party.

Under Cricket Australia's players contracts players who who fail to report approaches can be suspended for up to five years, fined and ordered to undertake counselling under CA's anti-corruption code.

The International Cricket Council has issued bans to a raft of players for corruption-related offences in recent years, including former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent and former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful.

Lou Vincent in action for the Auckland Aces

Lou Vincent in action for the Auckland Aces Photo: Photosport

Australian cricketers have not been implicated in any recent corruption-related investigations but a number of current players have reported approaches by bookmakers, including all-rounder Shane Watson and paceman Mitchell Johnson.

Cricket Australia, who set up their special integrity unit last year, were condemned for covering up the "Bookmaker John" case in 1995.

Two of Australia's greatest players, legspinner Shane Warne and batsman Mark Waugh, were privately fined for accepting thousands of dollars from an Indian bookmaker to give weather and pitch information - punishments that were not revealed until 1998.

New Zealand Cricket's, head of cricket operations, Lindsay Crocker says they take the matter of anti-corruption extremely seriously.

"The amnesty proposed by Cricket Australia, is an interesting initiative and something NZC will discuss and consider."