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ICC calls emergency meeting to discuss match-fixing

The International Cricket Council has convened a ''special session'' of its executive board at Lord's on May 2 and 3 to discuss the issue of match-fixing in the wake of the Hansie Cronje scandal.

''ICC directors around the world are extremely concerned at the damage to the image of the game by the flow of allegations about players being involved in receiving payments from bookmakers. A summit meeting must be held to consider what further steps are needed to rid the sport of this major problem,'' ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya said in a statement in Calcutta on Monday.

Dalmiya said the identity of the judge to head the ICC inquiry in South Africa should be known by the middle of this week.

''The terms of reference and a timetable will be published shortly,'' he said.

He urged all involved with the game not to make speculative public comments about players receiving payments from bookmakers and match-fixing.

''While in most cases these are unsubstantiated allegations, it is vital that any person who has firm evidence comes forward to the ICC, its Code of Conduct commission or the governing body in each country,'' he said.

Dalmiya will meet the BCCI president and other top board officials tomorrow to discuss matters relating to betting and match-fixing, and action proposed by the board.

Meanwhile, Union Sports and Youth Affairs minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa has said that the Centre might order an inquiry into the match-fixing allegations before April 27 if there is unanimity among parliamentarians on the issue.

Dhindsa said issue will be discussed in the ongoing session of parliament, and if MPs express their unanimity on an inquiry, then it might be ordered before April 27, when he is slated to meet former BCCI chiefs, former national cricket team managers and former captains in New Delhi.

UNI

The Betting Scandal: The full story