King commission: Second interim report released

The King commission of inquiry into match-fixing has recommended far greater supervision of players and suggests that the United Cricket might take control of betting on cricket, in its second interim report released in Cape Town on Tuesday.

According to the report, "The recommendations and suggestions ... are aimed at ensuring, or assisting to ensure, that malpractice such as has already been disclosed in evidence, and the like, is eliminated once and for all from the game of cricket."

The report runs to 19 pages, and at least some of its recommendations, such as monitoring players e-mails, may be impractical, not to mention an invasion of privacy.

But the report acknowledges the sensitivity of controlling players. "Supervision of players and a measure of control over their activities is necessary but it is a sensitive issue which should be handled with circumspection and delicacy.

"It has become apparent that up to now access to players has been far too free and easy; this requires correction and it may be necessary, for a time, to overreact to some extent."

It also points to the fact that when players are overseas they are ambassadors for their country and their sport and that they are, to an extent, public property.

At one point the report goes so far as to recommend lie detector tests and suggests than an ethics committee be set up, comprised of both players and team management members to which players could report any approaches, to them or their team-mates.

The report seems to acknowledge that betting on cricket is a fact of life and wonders whether the UCB should not control this betting.

"This leads to a consideration of whether there should not be control of cricket betting by either the UCB or a statutory Board of Control. In this way malpractice could be contained, licensed cricket bookmakers could be established and sanctions could be introduced for the control of betting and 'insider trading' (making use of knowledge and information which is not available to the general public) could be proscribed. This is preferable to outlawing the practice of betting which would only drive it underground. I understand that each Province has a gambling board, but it may be preferable to place the control of gambling on cricket in the hands of the UCB."

Penalties for certain offences are suggested, up to and including life bans for "very serious offences".

"Match fixing or other forms of dishonesty related to match fixing are obvious examples. In respect of other offences, such as failure to report breaches of the code of conduct or other reportable misconduct, or conduct of dishonesty affecting the course of a game, a life ban would be a discretionary option."

In response to the report, the UCB said: "We would like to thank Mr Justice Edwin King for his thoroughness and his efforts to assist the UCB in eradicating match fixing and similar malpractices from the game of cricket.

"As the UCBSA only received the document a few hours before it was made public, we have not yet had time to digest its contents in full. However, we are certain that it contains recommendations which will contribute greatly towards the fight against corruption in cricket. The full report will be given to the UCBSA's General Council for their very serious consideration and a copy will be sent to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit in London."