ICC to not file charges against those shown in Al-Jazeera match-fixing documenrary

The ICC on Monday said no charges will be filed against those shown in a 2018 Al-Jazeera documentary. The show ‘Cricket’s Match Fixers’ aired on the channel on May 27 2018. Upon its airing, the ICC said they will investigate the matter. But now the sport’s governing body says there is no real evidence to show that any fixing took place.

The inquiry looked at three main areas. These were – the claims made on the show, the suspects and how evidence was gathered by the channel.

The show alleged that two matches were fixed. These were the India vs England Test in Chennai in 2016 and India vs Australia Test in Ranchi in 2017.

The ICC used four betting and cricket specialists to analyse these claims. However, these experts stated the passages of play were, in fact, normal. Thus it was impossible to say the match was fixed.

The five people featured in the show also faced questions from the ICC. Based on these questions, ICC found a lack of evidence to suggest matches were fixed.

Evidence not enough: ICC GM – Integrity

“We welcome the reporting of alleged corrupt activity within cricket as there is no place for such conduct in our sport. But we also need to be satisfied there is sufficient evidence to sustain charges against Participants,” Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity said.

“In the case of the claims aired in this programme, there are fundamental weaknesses in each of the areas we have investigated that make the claims unlikely and lacking in credibility, a viewpoint that has been corroborated by four independent experts.

“On the basis of the programme, the Participants to the Code who were filmed appear to have behaved in a questionable manner. However, we have been unable to assess the full context of the conversations that took place beyond what was seen on screen versus what the Participants claim actually happened. This combined with the absence of any other credible evidence means there are insufficient grounds to bring charges under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

“Should any new substantial evidence come to light I will re-examine the case. But at present I am comfortable with the conclusion of the investigation and the thoroughness with which it was undertaken.”

Cricket has a long history of match fixing. India has seen former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin cop a ban for the same. But there have also been cases where fixing claims have not been proven.