ACB ignores fresh match-fixing allegations

An unsubstantiated report in an Indian newspaper linking unnamed Australian cricketers with an international match-fixing scandal will be ignored by the Australian Cricket Board, officials said Monday.

The report, published in The Indian Express newspaper, claims the Australians are named in a leaked copy of the report compiled by India's Central Bureau of Investigation.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed said in Melbourne on Monday he would be taking no action unless something more substantial emerged. He said the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit is carrying out its own investigations and he is happy to leave it there.

"I have no reason to believe any serious allegations are made against Australian players," Speed said.

Speed said a CBI spokesman had already said the leaked copy seen by The Indian Express was not an authentic report. He had tried to speak with Australian captain Steve Waugh Monday, but had failed to reach him.

"I have no reason to doubt any of the Australian players," he said.

He planned to speak with the Australian squad when they gathered in Brisbane next week for a pre-season camp..

The newspaper article also said two senior West Indians figured in the CBI report in addition to the four Indian players -- Mohammad Azharuddin, Ajay Jadeja, Ajay Sharma and Manoj Prabhakar -- named Sunday by the Indian media.

The Indian Express claimed the four Indians were in regular touch with bookmakers and had assets disproportionate to their income derived from cricket.

"At this stage, there is nothing substantial to deal with," Speed said.

"There are investigations under way by the ICC anti-corruption unit so it's not our place for us to talk with police of another country."

Mail Cricket Editor