Head of ICC plays down Pakistan 'match-fixing claims'
Sunday 22 November 2015 14:21, UK
The head of world cricket insists he is "not too suspicious" over the one-day match between Pakistan and England in Sharjah, despite allegations it could have been fixed.
Newspaper reports suggested the game on Tuesday, which the tourists won by six wickets, was under investigation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) over unusual betting patterns.
It was claimed investigators from the ICC's Corruption Unit were tipped off before the match that Pakistan would under-perform in the game, which the team have denied.
But ICC chief executive David Richardson played down fears the match could have been fixed and said odd run outs do happen, after some bizarre dismissals with Pakistan bowled out for 208 on a flat pitch.
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"Yes, there could be odd occasions there would be some strange run outs, in fact I have been run out on more occasions than I care to remember," Richardson, who played 42 Tests for South Africa, told the BBC.
"Even Pakistan players themselves these days are reporting every approach that seems to come their way and I wouldn't be too suspicious.
"I am pretty positive about where cricket is at the moment in the battle of keeping cricket clean, the level of education that the international players go through now."
Richardson's comments come after Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said he was confident there was nothing untoward about the defeat in the third ODI after the run outs of Azhar Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Shoaib Malik.
Between 2003 and 2010, Sharjah did not host any international cricket following the match-fixing scandal which saw former Pakistan captain Salim Malik banned for life.
