Match-fixing

Cricket's biggest match-fixing scandal was unearthed in 2000, when Hansie Cronje admitted he had accepted money to throw matches. Soon players from other countries, chiefly India and Pakistan, were implicated, among them Mohammad Azharuddin and Saleem Malik. Since then, allegations of fixing have cropped up sporadically, and it has been acknowledged that bookmakers and the underworld have been active in trying to influence cricket results. In 2010, scandal reared its head again when three leading Pakistan players were questioned by Scotland Yard and suspended by the ICC over spot-fixing charges

May 3, 2012: Mohammad Asif released from prison | May 11, 2012: Kaneria, Westfield ECB hearing postponed

The spot-fixing case

In September 2010 the ICC suspended three Pakistan players - Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt - on allegations of what was later defined as spot-fixing. They were alleged to have carried out specific on-field actions, including bowling no-balls at pre-determined times, during the Lord's Test against England on the instance of a bookie. The three were later handed long bans by the ICC before the matter moved to the British Crown courts, where all three were convicted and sentenced to spells of detention.

May 2, 2012: Asif will fight to clear name - lawyer | May 3, 2012: Mohammad Asif released from prison

Australian cricket under review

Australia lost more than a Test series when the Ashes were surrendered to England in January 2010. The overall health of Australian cricket was called into serious question by an unprecedented three innings defeats in five Test matches, leading to a review of the national team. Also up for debate was the state of cricket's administration, as the Cricket Australia board maintained an archaic structure with 19th-century origins.

Apr 7, 2012: Australia players pay deal imminent | Apr 24, 2012: CA expects independent directors by October

Security concerns

The attack on cricketers and match officials in Lahore in March 2009 brought into tragic and dramatic focus a trend that began in Sri Lanka in 1987, when New Zealand abandoned their tour after a car bomb in Colombo killed 100 people. Nine years later, Australia and West Indies refused to play their World Cup games in Sri Lanka citing danger from the ongoing civil war. Subsequent series to be affected include New Zealand's tour of Pakistan in 2002, Australia and West Indies' tours of Pakistan the same year (eventually played at neutral venues), South Africa's tour of Sri Lanka in 2006, which was truncated halfway, England's of India in November 2008, when the ODI series was cut short by the attacks in Mumbai, and India's proposed tour of Pakistan in 2009.

Mar 21, 2012: International cricket in Pakistan? You gotta be... | Apr 15, 2012: Bangladesh to tour Pakistan at month end

West Indian contracts crisis

The relationship between West Indian players and their board has been rocky since 2005, largely over a new contract with Digicel. The situation has flared up sporadically with isolated strikes and considerable ill-will and reached a flashpoint in July 2009, when the entire first-choice team pulled out of a home Test series against Bangladesh .

Mar 20, 2012: Decision on Gayle's future delayed | Mar 31, 2012: The militant man of the people