Cricket: Inquiry into Crowe claims

New Zealand Cricket has joined its counterparts in Australia and Sri Lanka in establishing an anti-corruption inquiry team.

The national body has wasted little time in appointing Auckland retired High Court judge Sir Ian Barker and Nick Davidson, QC, to head the inquiry. Assisting counsel will be Timaru lawyer Tim Gresson.

The composition of the inquiry team was confirmed by the board of New Zealand Cricket yesterday.

Team members have also received proposed terms of reference for the inquiry which they are expected to confirm in the next day or two. Once the terms have been confirmed they will be made public.

The inquiry has been called for specifically to make thorough inquiries into the allegations made against former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe in a report recently released by the Indian Cricket Board of Control.

The inquiry team will liaise closely with the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption head Sir Paul Condon.

"The establishment of the inquiry in New Zealand has been prompted specifically by the allegations made in the Indian report," NZC chief executive Chris Doig said yesterday.

The report claimed that Martin Crowe received $US20,000 for providing information to Indian bookmaker M. K. Gupta in 1992.

"Martin has strenuously denied the allegations against him and has welcomed the initiation of an independent New Zealand-based inquiry."

NZC officials said no time limit had been set for the inquiry because there were a number of people they are keen to talk to.