ওয়াশিংটন বাংলা রেডিও Washington Bangla Radio USA

Sydney, Aug 31 (IBNS) Amid allegations that an Australia-Pakistan Test match in Sydney was fixed, the Australian cricket board said they won on merit and that they were shocked to hear the news of match-fixing. 

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said he was shocked to hear reports of alleged Test cricket match fixing in London and Sydney.

Regarding the 3 mobile Sydney Test, which had been played with an ICC Anti Corruption and Security Manager on duty throughout, CA had been in no doubt that Australia had won that game on the merit of their on field performance and will now wait on evidence from UK and ICC investigations before making any further comment, Cricket Australia said.

"The reports from the UK are most disturbing and we look forward to the outcome of rigourous investigation by the UK authorities as well as by the ICC," Sutherland said.

"It is critical for cricket that the public has confidence in the integrity of the outcome of games, which is why CA and other ICC members have supported the significant world cricket investment in anti corruption over the last decade or more," he said.

"We have no knowledge of the current allegations but by their very nature, they demonstrate the absolute importance of world cricket maintaining its vigilance in relation the anti-corruption.

"As Lord Condon, the founder of the ICC anti corruption process has always said, that vigilance can never be relaxed," he said.

Meanwhile, speaking to Mumbai-based newspaper DNA, Peter Young of Cricket Australia said: “I was around the team on the morning of the last day of that Test and they were convinced they were going to win.” 

He told the paper that both captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey — who scored a match-winning century — are shocked to hear about the news.

Meanwhile, Australian cricketers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin have told Sydney Morning Herald that they were approached by an illegal Indian bookmaker on last year's tour of England.

Watson said the pair took the issue to team management straight away because the man was "more intense" than most ordinary fans they encounter.