ICC to probe bribery allegations

The anti-corruption unit of the International Cricket Council will investigate allegations against 15 foreign players, made in an official Indian report on match-fixing, the ruling body said on Friday.

In a statement, it said that investigations involving non-Indian players could take several weeks to complete.

Members of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit have returned to Britain following visits to India and South Africa over the past week.

The ACU met Indian police investigating the claims and found that they had reported but not investigated the allegations made against the 15, instead concentrating their efforts on the Indian players.

The ACU team said they would undertake "the extremely detailed and complex investigations needed to test these allegations".

The ACU also said they would not recommend that any board should exclude players currently involved in international fixtures.

On November 1, India's Central Bureau of Investigation accused former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin of fixing matches and quoted a bookmaker as saying he had given money to several top overseas cricketers, including West Indies' Brian Lara and England's Alec Stewart.

Azharuddin admitted to federal investigators that he had received money. Lara and Stewart have denied any wrongdoing.

Mail Cricket Editor