Cricket chiefs voiced “grave concern” after a match-fixing bombshell rocked the Ashes series with a British newspaper claiming to have exposed attempts to rig the third Test in Perth.
Two bookmakers, including an Indian “Mr Big”, allegedly offered to sell details of rigged periods of play which could be bet on to win huge sums, it reported.
One of them claimed to have worked on the scam with former and current internationals including a World Cup-winning all-rounder. They said they liaised with a fixer in Australian cricket known as “The Silent Man”.
No Australia or England players were named as being involved. 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. Asked if it was a good source, he said: “Absolutely correct information.”
