ICC calls emergency meeting over match fixing

The International Cricket Council on Monday responded to calls for action over corruption in the game by announcing an emergency meeting at Lord's in a fortnight.

The executive board of the world's governing body will meet at Lord's on May 2 and 3 to discuss growing allegations of match-fixing which have surfaced in the week since Hansie Cronje was sacked as South African captain for accepting money from an Indian businessman.

Monday's announcement follows an appeal by Lord MacLaurin, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, that the leading cricket nations should assemble for a world summit to discuss the crisis.

ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya in a statement said: ``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 our sport of this major problem.''

Dalmiya also urged the numerous players and officials who have claimed they also have been approached to come forward with evidence so they can take action on the problem.

Both Bob Woolmer and Raymond Illingworth have claimed they were approached while coaching South Africa and England respectively and only on Sunday, Leicestershire all-rounder Chris Lewis said he had been told that three famous England players had taken money to influence matches.

``While in most cases these are unsubstantiated allegations, it is vital that any person who has firm evidence comes forward to the ICC, our Code of Conduct Commission or the governing body in each country,'' stressed Dalmiya.

The ICC president also plans an urgent meeting with the president and other leading officials of the Indian Cricket Board in Calcutta on Tuesday to discuss matters relating to betting and match-fixing.

Meanwhile, the identity of the judge to head the ICC enquiry in South Africa should be known by mid-week.