An unnamed Bollywood actor is alleged to be at the heart of a thriving multi-crore international cricket match-fixing scam operating out of India.
Indian bookies, a British newspaper claimed on Sunday, were using the actor who could not be identified for legal reasons to “lure” cricketers as they apparently succumbed more easily to the charms of “pretty girls” than the promise of big bucks.
A report in The Sunday Times, headed ‘Bollywood honeytrap seduces cricket stars into match-fixing,' said the International Cricket Council (ICC) was “aware” of the activities of the actor, “suspected of attempting to subvert players.”
The ICC was reported to have launched an investigation into the newspaper's claim of how a network of India-based bookmakers was corrupting cricketers and subverting the game.
“Officials were alerted by reports from four players who reported her suspicious approaches to them,” the report said.
An “influential” Delhi-based bookie Vicky Seth, secretly filmed by undercover reporters, said that “attractive girls are the ideal choice to cosy up to players and persuade them to work for bookmakers.”
“Players are always vulnerable to approaches by pretty girls and when they are offered the opportunity to make fortunes for making minor adjustments in their play, it is an irresistible package,” he said, sipping scotch whisky in a “smart” Gurgaon bar.
Seth, who runs property business, boasted that he could “fix big international events such as Test matches, Twenty20s, and games in both the Indian Premier League and the Bangladesh Premier League.” Last year's World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan had also been “rigged,” he claimed.
Another bookie, known as Monubhai, said he had worked with players from most of the main cricketing nations to fix games, and had recently been offered a chance to sign up New Zealanders. His next target was the new Indian Premier League tournament starting next month.
“The IPL starts on April 4, then everyone will be doing it [match-fixing],” he said, offering to fix sessions claiming “I've got players there” who would do it. “I will let you have results with scripts [details of ‘fixes' set up in advance, such as agreed no-balls, or agreed numbers of runs]. I've got players there,” he said.
Keywords: cricket match-fixing scam, bookies, IPL, cricket betting, World Cup
To eliminate the bookies approaching the players, ICC should modify the existing practice of announcing the winning side in ODI and T20 matches. A new system of deciding the winning team should be as follows:
01. A team of experts together with selected fans should form a committee and select the winning team for the day, based on performance of players, irrespective of the final result.
02 Just an hour before the end of the match, the viewers should asked to send the name of the winning team (A or B) by SMS using mobile phones,
03. A toss should be made at the end of the game and the winning team to be announced.
04. The actual result of the day to be considered.
The team which satisfies 3 of the above 4 criteria, should be announced as winner.
It is the spirit of cricket to be continued ,and not the result of the match.
Some lateral thinking here if permitted.
Betting is legal in most sporting nations and is very much in practice in India although not legal. The 'Fixing' agents here are making a claim that they can dictate the fate of the matches. so?? Does this promote the business of betting agencies or adversely affect their business??
If so are only some betting agencies benefited by fixing and thus are facing the wrath from other competitors?
Why does all this come up with major sub continent matches involving sub continent teams?
Are we missing something here?? Are these people tainting the game( which anyway is) or just a case of rival fixers spoiling others' share of pie.
@Faheed Bhatt, but in the match in question, India won, so does it mean Pakistan is responsible for planting the rumours of match-fixing in order to explain the defeat.
Its highly intresting to know how much of newsmaking can journalists do.Sad to see that in their quest for breaking news the media has succumbed to the very same corruption which it likes to hate. If this is was honest reporting then don't know what will be dishonesty on media's part. No one denies the nexus between players and the bookies but to say that players are lured by girls into fixing sounds very naive in a cricket frenzie country like INDIA where cricketers are nothing less than Demi-Gods. Where money rains on the players and the fame and glory along witha huge amount of fan base around these men don't require bookies to help them have a nice time. Moreover only Politics, Cinema and Cricket sells in INDIA, so it is quite obvious on some journalists part to cook up stories mix events and people from these 3 walks of life and prepare a outright BREAKING NEWS. Unfortunately they are lethargic in showing the people what is the truth . Its high time for responsible journalism.
It is shameful and dangerous. If this news is true, the ICC should take very serious action against the BCCI, being goverened by big businessmen. If found guilty, the punishment should be severe to such an extent that the guilty palyers' life time records to be announced null and void. Irrespective how senior they are.Since this is more than an fradulant act.
I stopped watching cricket since last two years. Reason - because most of time it is fixed, a complete waste of time and most importantly it is more a bussiness now rather than a sport.
Crickets are not playing cricket they are playing with us.
Always suspected about fixing in IPL. After all, it's a money making league for entertainment, so naturally the fixing thing has less consequences there, when a no-ball bowled intentionally can make a millionaire into a billionaire. It's actually IFL, not IPL, Indian Fixing League.
Yes this report of WC match fixing is 90% correct and most of the people believe this . This was the reason that most cricket fans did not celebrated this time as it was in 1983 WC victory.
India was free from this type of cheap match fixing under Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly time. We salute you Ganguly for your leadership and success.
Indians always donot want to accept defeat. They say that it is match fixing. I appreciate their patriotism.
we are responsible for this mess for we adulate cricketers and treat them Godly! Naturally they are more interested on areas outside their field. Sportsmanship is lost as for cricket. No hope!
When there is so much international corruption involving arms dealings and terrorism why is everyone so fixated on ,match fixing in cricket. It never killed anyone and all you need to do is to stop watching and all the traps and taps will dry up. Get real, name, shame and neutralize all the BMWs (black-money wallahs) first.
It is not slander. Indian Cricket Control Board is full of crooks who made billions out of Indian Crickets. Film stars of Mumbai are known for having connection with the underworld since long. They also have connection with corrupt politicians and mafias. It is nothing new in India.
Brilliant! Once the pot of honey is open, all buzz like bees to it. I'm not talking about this great Bollywood actor, who probably cannot make money in movies any more. I'm talking about the lucre of slander. Once the game has been tainted, it is upto everyone, particularly tabloid journalists, to put whatever spin they want into it, to sell a few more. Mathematically, it makes absolutely no sense for top cricketers to involve themselves in fixing as winning brings them huge endorsements, much above any fixer can pay them. There just aren't the numbers to support the really big claims about top cricketers. However, as always, the fringe players could be vulnerable to these temptations, as it will be quite easy for them to know they will never make it to the top echelons of the game. I wonder why British tabloids are always up on this sort of news, given that betting is legal in that nation!
My one request is :Why not arrange for the hundredth hundred?
Players are always vulnerable to approaches by pretty girls and when they are offered the opportunity to make fortunes for making minor adjustments in their play, it is an irresistible package, he said, sipping scotch whisky in a "smart" Gurgaon bar. Proof, drinking and testifying don't mix. I have known many in India bluff without a drop of alcohol in their blood. Well, the British newspaper must have sold a million copies, I bet.
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