Plans to erase records just 'speculation': ICC

LONDON, MAY 14. Reports that Hansie Cronje and other players found guilty of match-fixing could be written out of cricketing history have been qualified as `completely speculative' by the sport's world governing body.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) responded on Monday after newspaper reports suggested that an interim investigation by the ICC's anti-corruption unit would recommend that players' names should be removed from the record books.

ICC spokesman Mark Harrison said: ``that's completely speculative and has not come from the ICC. The (anti-corruption unit) report is not in the public domain...It has not been published or leaked.''

The investigation, headed by former London Metropolitan Police chief Paul Condon, has taken six months to date and focuses on how match-fixing took hold.

It is due to be presented to the ICC's Code of Conduct Commission next week and will then be published before being presented to the world governing body's executive board in June.

Three former National captains - South African Cronje, Mohammad Azharuddin of India and Salim Malik of Pakistan - have been banned for life by their national boards after the scandal broke last year. All were charged with having links with bookmakers.

The anti-corruption unit has visited Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sharjah and Sri Lanka, as well as supporting investigations in England, Pakistan and West Indies.

- Reuters

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