'Hooked', line and sinker

Cricket has never been able to totally rid itself of matchfixing allegations – and now perhaps we know why. These deals are not being hatched only in shady bars or on the phone - the latest method, according to the Daily Mail involves the use of ‘honey traps’. The report, quoting sources close to the ICC, indicates that prostitutes are being used to lure cricketers into matchfixing. “They [the prostitutes] are used for making contact with players, whether through sexual favours or whatever, and once these guys are hooked, they make their move,” the report quoted a source as saying. “It's a honey trap.”

According to the report, the targets are usually young cricketers, who “may not even realise what is happening, but once they are in it they can't get out because they have done one wrong deed for which they can be blackmailed.” Once the players are educated about it, members of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit are deployed at the team hotels to keep an eye on things. “The players do realise they are being watched.”