Odumbe investigated for alleged match-fixing

Maurice Odumbe: hearing set for May © Getty Images

Maurice Odumbe, the Kenyan allrounder, is to be investigated by the International Cricket Council after it received reports that he had "inappropriate contact with a bookmaker and influenced the result of matches". Odumbe's response was unequivocal - "My conscience is clear," he told reporters.

Malcolm Speed, the ICC's chief executive, explained that the hearing came after investigations by the organisation's Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) and a recommendation by Michael Beloff, the ICC's code of conduct commission chairman. "As a result of the work of the ACSU and on the recommendation of [Beloff] the executive board accepts that there is a prima-facie case against Odumbe and has directed the Kenyan Cricket Association (KCA) and the ICC to conduct a formal hearing into the matter."

Ahmed Ebrahim, a former Zimbabwean supreme court judge, has been appointed to conduct the hearing which is expected to be held in May. But his appointment did not impress Odumbe. "I see a lot of intimidation in the whole affair, especially where Justice Ahmed Ebrahim is involved," he told the AFP news agency. "He's the same guy who sent me off during the triangular series in South Africa in October 2001 when he was the match umpire."

Odumbe hit the international headlines last year when he averaged 42 with the bat and took nine wickets as Kenya reached the World Cup semi-finals. The investigation is thought to concern Kenya's win over Sri Lanka in that tournament.