LONDON: English cricket chiefs have set up a new anti-corruption watchdog to monitor domestic limited overs competitions, it was announced on Thursday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the seven-strong panel of officials would scrutinize games in the domestic Twenty20 league and 40-over competitions.
The development came as former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield’s appeal against conviction in a match-fixing case was dismissed.
The new monitoring group would be run under the supervision of the ECB’s anti-corruption chief Chris Watts and staffed by “suitably skilled and experienced individuals with investigative and regulatory backgrounds.” “The ECB has been at the forefront of efforts to stamp out corruption in cricket and the creation of a dedicated team of officials to monitor our domestic limited-overs competitions demonstrates our determination to protect the integrity of the sport,” ECB chief executive David Collier said.
“They will be a visible presence at matches and will act as a constant reminder to players, officials and club personnel of the need for constant vigilance with regard to this issue as we seek to identify, prevent and eradicate corrupt practices from our domestic game.
“Players from all 18 first-class counties have recently participated in anti-corruption tutorial sessions and we will continue to work closely with the Professional Cricketers’ Association to enhance player education around this issue.” Westfield was jailed for four months after being found guilty of accepting cash to bowl in a way that would allow the scoring of runs.
Pietersen retires from limited overs
England star Kevin Pietersen retired from all forms of international limited overs cricket yesterday, a decision, which took the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) by surprise.
Pietersen, who will continue to be available for Test selection, said in a statement he wished to step aside in order to give the next generation of players a chance to bed in before the 2015 World Cup.
“After a great deal of thought and deliberation, I am today announcing my retirement from international one-day cricket,” said Pietersen, who turns 32 next month.
“With the intensity of the international schedule and the increasing demands on my body, approaching 32, I think it is the right time to step aside and let the next generation of players come through to gain experience for the ICC World Cup in 2015,” added Pietersen, who has scored 4,184 runs at an average of 42 in one-day internationals and averages 38 in international T20 cricket.
Pietersen’s decision comes less than four months before England are due to launch the defense of their Twenty20 World Cup crown in September.
The South Africa-born batsman was man of the tournament when England won the title in the West Indies in 2010, and had indicated a willingness to remain part of the T20 squad in Sri Lanka this year.
However ECB rules dictate that centrally-contracted players must make themselves available for all forms of limited-overs cricket.
“I am immensely proud of my achievements in the one-day game, and still wish to be considered for selection for England in Test cricket,” Pietersen said.
“For the record, were the selection criteria not in place, I would have readily played for England in the upcoming ICC World Twenty20.”
Fixing agent’s appeal rejected
Mazhar Majeed, the agent behind the Pakistan cricket betting scam that rocked the sport, yesterday lost a legal challenge against his conviction.
British-based Majeed, 36, was sentenced in November to two years and eight months in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to make corrupt payments.
Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt, and fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were also jailed for their roles in fixing elements of the August 2010 Test match against England at Lord’s.
The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Igor Judge, sitting with two other judges at the Court of Appeal in London, rejected the challenge.
Former Essex county player Mervyn Westfield also lost an unrelated separate challenge against his conviction.
The appeals were heard together as they raised the same point in law: that the offenses the men were charged with did not reflect the facts alleged.
Westfield, 24 — the first county cricketer in England to be prosecuted for spot fixing — was sentenced to four months in prison in February and has since been released.
He had admitted a charge of accepting or obtaining a corrupt payment to bowl in a way that would allow the scoring of runs, relating to a match between Durham and Essex in September 2009.
“The prizes for successful gambling can be very great, and the scope for corruption is therefore considerable. For the health, indeed the survival of the game as a truly competitive sport, it must be eradicated.”
FROM: AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
English cricket sets up corruption watchdog
