Seems like it is on again.. From Perth Now
Any guesses? Nah it couldnt be…
Aussie cricketer ‘fixed matches’
A FAMOUS Australian cricketer allegedly helped fix Indian Premier League matches last year, an inquiry by India’s tax office has revealed.
The Aussie was among up to 27 players reportedly involved in match fixing during the 2009 IPL, which was played in South Africa.
The tax department probe has already claimed IPL chief Lalit Modi, who was suspended by the IPL’s owner, the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
It was Modi who developed the IPL into a multi-billion dollar sporting franchise in just three years.
A report tax officials sent to India’s finance department alleges that 27 cricketers and one official took part in match fixing or “spot-fixing”, whereby specific phases of games are manipulated.
It added that match fixing and betting had “scaled new heights”, with some leading Indian players and a “famous” Australian alleged to be among the 27, Britain’s Sunday Times website reported yesterday.
A source close to the players, who was in South Africa, confirmed there was plenty of talk about approaches from illegal bookmakers and said there had been “too much smoke” for there not to be some fire.
“There were a lot of rumours, particularly in and around the opening matches in Cape Town,” he said.
The Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians featured in those opening matches at Newlands.
The decision by the Indian cricket board to suspend Modi was taken just hours after yesterday’s IPL final, which was won by the Chennai Super Kings who feature Australians Matthew Hayden and Doug Bollinger.
A statement from the president of the BCCI said Modi had been suspended with immediate effect and had been given two weeks to prove his innocence.
“The alleged acts of individual misdemeanours of Mr Lalit K. Modi, chairman IPL and vice-president BCCI, have brought a bad name to the administration of cricket and the game itself,” said a statement from president Shashank Manohar.
The suspension caused shock waves around India, with a headline on The Times Of India website reading: “Modi all but hanged without trial.”
But the seeds of Modi’s downfall were sown two weeks ago when he revealed the ownership details of a new franchise set to join the glitzy and globally popular IPL in 2011.
In one of his postings on Twitter, he embarrassed a high-profile member of the Government, Junior Foreign Minister Shashi Tharoor, by leaking how his girlfriend had been given a free stake in the new team.
Under pressure from the Opposition, which accused Tharoor of misusing his office to secure benefit, the minister was forced to resign, embarrassing the Government.
Since then, the finance ministry has launched a wide-ranging tax inquiry into the IPL, the BCCI and the owners of its franchises, powerful business and Bollywood figures, and many blame Modi for bringing the taxman to their door.
The Super Kings scored a 22-run win over the Mumbai Indians to take the 2010 title.
