Corruption unit flies in to probe Cricket Canada's involvement in betting scam
A high-powered International Cricket Council anti-corruption team is jetting into Toronto this week. No, they are not here to check out what the country's largest dynamic metropolis has to offer or a trip to see the awe-inspiring beauty of Niagara Falls.
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They may still take in all the sites during their spare time but they are here on a far more serious and challenging visit. They are here to investigate a number of incidents that have perked the ears of the world's governing body.
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The ICC has been forced to jump into action after receiving a recorded tape from a Cricket Canada member about illegal betting, match-and-spot-fixing involving the national team in the last few weeks. Immediately after the member admitted to forwarding the tape to the ICC in England, he was fired for not sharing the tape first with Cricket Canada.
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This damning recording that was exclusively shared to Postmedia lasts 58 minutes and 47 seconds is conducted in Punjabi and was deciphered to me by a translator. The ICC takes these allegations very seriously as it doesn't want its lily-white image of the sport to be tarnished anymore.
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Of course, the game received a black eye on April 7, 2000 when Indian police charged the late South Africa skipper Hansie Cronje of match fixing and that sparked a world-wide scandal. In the same year Pakistanis Salim Malik and Ata-u-Rehman were banned for life and six others were fined. The game was later rocked when the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation fingered India's national captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma who both played in Toronto in the Sahara Cup tournament were banned for life.
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Since then, ICC has stepped up the fight but the proliferation of franchise cricket has made the job of stopping corruption even harder.
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The recording points fingers at how the interim national coach Khurum Rashid Chohan was instructed by three board members on the composition of the team. It appears the bookmakers based in either Pakistan or India relayed classified information to these board members who were allegedly involved in placing bets.
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In one instance the coach strongly objected to one bowler being dropped as the 'wicket had a green top.' And he paid the price for it. On the squad's return from the trip to the U.S. to play World Cup qualifiers Chohan was fired. He has been replaced by the national team's general manager Ingleton Liburd. Liburd was a former Canadian international all-rounder who has been with the organization for several years. When contacted on Monday, Chohan told me that he was relieved of his duties and that 'Ingleton will coach the team in next week's matches. Call me back in 15 minutes and I will talk to you.' I called him back twice and the calls went unanswered.
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