Odumbe hearing set for July

The ICC hearing into allegations that the former Kenya captain Maurice Odumbe had inappropriate contact with a known bookmaker will be held on July 27.

Odumbe and his lawyer met with Justice Ahmed Ebrahim, who has been appointed to investigate the charges by the ICC, at a Nairobi hotel this morning for a preliminary hearing.

Odumbe's lawyer stressed that his client had not been charged with match-fixing, receiving bribes or giving information on pitch conditions. He explained that while Odumbe admitted that he had dealings with an Indian, he was unaware that the man concerned was a bookmaker.

Odumbe, 34, is alleged to have received payments from at least one Mumbai bookmaker in 2002, so that he could coerce his team-mates into underperforming in matches. If found guilty, Odumbe - who has been the face of Kenyan cricket, along with Steve Tikolo, since that astonishing win over West Indies in the 1996 World Cup - faces a life ban.

Justice Ebrahim said after the hearing that he recognised the seriousness of the allegations, and had therefore considered the matter very carefully before making his ruling. "In light of the documentary evidence supplied and the arguments raised at the preliminary hearing, I reached my determination that it is right and proper that this matter is progressed and set down for a full hearing in July," he said. "The charge put is that Odumbe allegedly received money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute."

The formal hearing will start in Nairobi on July 27, and is expected to last five days. Both parties will have the opportunity to put forward their case, and call witnesses.

The hearings follow an investigation by the ICC's Anti Corruption & Security Unit and a recommendation by Michael Beloff, the chairman of the ICC's Code of Conduct commission. Under the code, the penalties a player found guilty can face range from a two-year suspension to a life ban, depending on the nature of the charge.