Cricket: Snedden dismisses reports of fixing

Martin Snedden

New Zealand Cricket last night brushed aside reports that the game's international fraud-busting squad were investigating the recent one-day Tri-Series in Zimbabwe.

But the International Cricket Council has adopted a neither confirm nor deny stance over the reports, insisting that it would be unwise to comment on speculation about any anti-corruption operation.

Valid or otherwise, Indian newspapers were yesterday abuzz over the apparent arrival of two officials from the ICC's anti-corruption unit, who they claimed had flown in to probe allegations of match-fixing arising from the series.

New Zealand won the tournament after beating India by six wickets at Harare, their only loss coming after they opted to drop Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori for a meaningless pre-final match against Sourav Ganguly's men.

According to Indian sources, ICC super sleuths Martin Hawkins and Alan Peacock have arrived in New Delhi to investigate a range of issues, including some matters arising from the series in Zimbabwe.

However, ICC corporate affairs manager Brendan McClements last night refused to shed any light on the speculation, saying it was policy to not comment on the movement of its officials, or on any anti-corruption unit probe.

"All I can say is that speculation of this nature erupts from time to time and people get very excited about it. But we can't validate the reports or otherwise."

McClements made the comments only minutes after NZC chief executive Martin Snedden released a statement expressing full confidence in his team, players and officials.

Snedden said he had not been contacted by the ICC about suggestions of corruption in Zimbabwe, and did not accept the accuracy of the reports.

"All we have seen regarding speculation surrounding the Tri-Series is reports from Indian newspapers," he said.

"I have very strong trust in the integrity of our players and am more than confident there is no basis to any suggestions they were involved."

Earlier in the day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India ruled out initiating an inquiry into the allegations, and also claimed they had no knowledge of an operation involving their players.

Board president Ranbir Singh Mahendra said in Chandigarh that the first he had heard of the reports was in the local media.

"As of now, we are not going to initiate any inquiry as we have not received any complaint from anywhere. As regards the visit of two ICC officials, I want to make it clear the board has no information about their visit."

Although New Zealand seem to have nothing to fear from the reports, they might have aroused some interest from the ICC after deliberately making life hard for themselves in their penultimate game of the tournament.

Not only did they rest their two best players, they also chose to bat first on a bowler-friendly pitch, and then bowled rookie off-spinner Jeetan Patel through the most difficult part of the innings, and with unusually attacking fields.

He was slammed for 60 runs off nine overs.

New Zealand vice-captain Daniel Vettori was adamant there was nothing untoward about last week's final in Harare, when New Zealand overhauled India's imposing total of 276.

"That's the first I've heard of it, it's news to me and I'd imagine it's news to the team as well," Vettori told NZPA yesterday.

"It seems to always follow us around when we win something."

The last time New Zealand were involved in a match-fixing controversy was after their ICC knockout tournament triumph against India at Nairobi in 2000.

The coach of the day, David Trist, said afterwards the only justification was that the so-called heavyweights of world cricket and their supporters could not cope with being beaten by New Zealand.

"Some teams from the sub-continent are under massive pressure and many people simply can't face the reality of a New Zealand side being good enough to beat them."