Match and Spot-Fixing - a Great Cricket Scandal!

Well, this could be getting very serious:

"Lou Vincent has reportedly provided ICC"s anti-corruption and security unit with information on matches targeted for spot-fixing and the names of players involved"

www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/current/story/744831.html

Vincent, if you remember, played for Sussex in that (in)famous match against Kent that is still under investigation. The article says that he has reportedly agreed to a plea bargain in an effort to avoid a criminal prosecution. In exchange for a lenient 'punishment' he is naming those cricketers (not just the English ones) who were involved in corruption. They know who they are, and I hope they enjoy a very uncertain future.


EDIT: Here's the Telegraph article:  www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/10832310/Cricket-rocked-by-new-fixing-evidence-from-New-Zealands-former-batsman-Lou-Vincent.html

Simple - they should be booted out unceremoniously. There should be zero tolerance of this cancer. If a cricketer is guilty, I don't care which county he plays for - he needs to be sacked, and then prosecuted.

For the match in question, the Sussex side was Joyce, Nash, Vincent,Goodwin, Yardy, Gatting, Brown, Parnell, Naved Arif, Liddle & Panesar - so, more than half the side are no longer at Hove. The area of scrutiny relates to the middle overs of the match where Sussex had reached 76 for no wicket and, four overs later, the score was 83 for 4 with Vincent run out. The top four were Joyce, Nash, Vincent and Goodwin - and it looks as if the concentration will be on these four.

But does it really matter if the players involved have now left Sussex? They weren't "dismissed" for corrupt activities - it will still reflect badly on the county. Vincent appears to have cut himself a deal and it looks as if there is significant pressure on the authorities to tie up loose ends.

Vincent's a piece of filth. He did sod-all for us except cheat. I hope nobody currently at Sussex was involved with this b*****d, or failed to report an approach. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two of those former players were involved from that team. I moaned and moaned and moaned about signing that bloke, although it was for other reasons.

"I have seen others too. The ones outlined by Vincent. I watched the Sussex v Kent game which we now know contained
spot-fixing and I sensed something was up."

What is deeply disturbing is, it requires more than one player to fix the outcome of a match. That, I have always
presumed, was the allegation with the Sussex v Kent game. I believe a whole shed-full of money suddenly appeared
(allegedly around £5m from Asia) on 'Betfair' when Sussex were in the ascendancy to easily win the game at 76-1,
for Kent to win it. Less than an over later, Sussex experienced one of their regular batting collapses and went to 86-4
with Vincent and Goodwin going cheaply. Yardy and Gatting then steadied the ship. The idea that Nash was involved
is ludicrous. Why get yourself out purposefully on 49. Wait until you reach your 50, surely?

The problem as always, is how do you prove a mini-batting collapse is fixed based on the fact that a whole heap of money
has entered the betting. You can't. And even if Vincent makes allegations against certain Sussex players, they can refute
the claims. Where's the hard evidence? You're innocent until proven guilty.

I hope the ECB anti-corruption unit avoid making such allegations themselves until they have rock solid evidence which
presumably includes text messages and recorded phone conversations with corrupt bookies etc.. Meanwhile, I remain sceptical.

www.espncricinfo.com/cb40-11/engine/current/match/492346.html

Sir George thinks the spot fixing scandal is clouding the T20 launch. Bopara is asked about the problem in a press conference.

I guess it's a particularly sensitive subject at Essex.

www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2014/content/current/story/745409.html