New Delhi: The first One-Day International between India and the West Indies in Nagpur on January 21 has come under scanner for match-fixing, the Nagpur police said on Wednesday.
Nagpur police sent a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India where they have mentioned of definitive proof in telephone conversations, wherein Marlon Samuels is said to have leaked vital match information to bookie Mukesh Kochchar. The police has asked for explanation on the same.
Police has established a nexus between Samuels and Kochchar and say that the all-rounder had leaked information like pitch conditions, the West Indies batting order and team strategies ahead of the start of the match. Kochchar is also said to have links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar said that Samuels gave out information on the batting line-up but “we have no evidence about financial commitment made.”
He added that Samuels was in conversation with even the betting racket organisers.
However, it is yet to be established whether the promising all-rounder was made to under-perform in the game, a clear indicator of match-fixing. Also, no other West Indies player is reported to have been involved.
India had beaten the West Indies by 14 runs in the Nagpur ODI in the first of the four-match One-Day series, which India later won 3-1.
The letter was sent to BCCI vice-president from the West Zone, Shashank Manohar, by the Nagpur police. However, Manohar told CNN-IBN that the BCCI hasn’t received any such letter from Nagpur police
Manohar added that the BCCI had nothing to do with the report, and it was up to the International Cricket Council to look into the matter.
The Vidarbha Cricket Association received the match-fixing letter against Marlon Samuels, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla later confirmed. The letter will be forwarded to the ICC. Shukla also added that Indian cricketers were clean and were not involved in the matter.
Shukla added, "I think Nagpur police will take strongest possible action. As per ICC guidelines, providing guidelines is violation of Code of Conduct.
International Cricket Council’s spokesperson refused to comment on the matter. Cricket’s governing body has received complaints and the details are with anti-corruption unit.
With the World Cup to played in the Caribbean from March 13, the West Indies Cricket Board will be severely jolted with the development.
Former Australian players Shane Warne and Mark Waugh were penalised for leaking information to an Indian bookmaker in 1994.
Further instances of match-fixing came up more noticeably in 2000, when late South Africa captain Hansie Cronje had accepted to have taken money from Indian bookies and asked his team to under-perform in an ODI series in India.