25 Oct 2010

ICC to take no action over Sydney Test claim

10:08 am on 25 October 2010

The International Cricket Council says it is not investigating an accusation of match-fixing at a Test between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney in January.

Earlier, the former head of the ICC's anti-corruption unit, Lord Condon, said he had serious questions about the Sydney Test.

Australia won the match, amid claims that Pakistan deliberately underperformed.

However, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat says there is not enough evidence to open an investigation.

Sports agent Mazhar Majeed was in Australia during the Pakistan tour. He was later secretly recorded in August by the News of the World newspaper in Britain claiming to have fixed the Sydney Test.

He was secretly filmed counting piles of cash he received for manipulating an England-Pakistan Test, by arranging for no balls to be bowled at specific points in the match, which could then be bet on.

The no balls were then bowled, as specifically predicted, during the Fourth Test between England and Pakistan.

Meanwhile the ABC TV Four Corners programme has revealed the ICC had concerns about Majeed during the Pakistan tour of Australia.

But the ICC claims it was not in a position to pass any information on to Cricket Australia before the Pakistan tour.

$1+ million claim

The ABC says Four Corners will on Monday night broadcast the News of the World tapes, including one in which Majeed brags about making a $1+ million betting windfall by manipulating the Sydney Test.

Three Pakistani players have been suspended since the UK accusations were published. The ABC reports their cases will be heard by the ICC in Qatar on 30 - 31 October.