London: Anti-corruption detectives have identified all the players and individuals featured in the recent Al Jazeera undercover match-fixing documentary but will not be able to take the case further until the broadcaster hands over all of its unedited footage.
It appears some of the claims in the programme were boastful but it is too early to state categorically whether offences were committed.
The programme alleged that a Test involving England and India in Chennai in December 2016 was corrupt. The players the programme alleged were involved in fixing were not named. The International Cricket Council will speak to those players to find out if they had heard of the people making the allegations but a formal investigation is not possible until Al Jazeera hands over the unedited footage.
A previous sting by an Indian newspaper implicated the groundsman in Pune. He allegedly said he could prepare a pitch for a one-day international between India and New Zealand that would suit the visiting team’s attack. The unedited footage later exonerated him of fixing but he was suspended for failing to report the approach.
The ICC has identified everyone in the programme, including those pixilated to protect their identity, but the main fixer who claimed to work for organised crime gang D Company, Aneel Munawar, has vanished.
“We need to see the full picture of what was clearly an extensive investigation that extends beyond a 40-minute programme and fully understand the context of all conversations,” said Alex Marshall, the ICC’s head of anti-corruption.
