ACB/ICC investigations update

The ACB today announced that the ACB's Special Investigator, Greg Melick, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit will seek to interview Mark Waugh in Australia during a visit by members of the Unit to Australia on 3 and 4

Australian Cricket Board

16-Jan-2001

The interview follows a visit by the members of the Unit and Mr Melick to India recently to follow-up unsubstantiated allegations raised against Waugh in an Indian Police enquiry.

Mr Melick said he, along with members of the Unit, will seek to interview Waugh in early February.

"Members of the Unit will visit Australia in early February and I have advised the ACB that I intend to coincide this visit with my interview with Mark Waugh to ensure that the Australian and international investigations continue to be coordinated."

Mr Speed also reinforced the ACB's commitment to ensuring that these issues do not take hold in the Australian game announcing that the ACB had recently authorised Mr Melick to investigate the possibility that first-class players had bet on a Test match.

Mr Melick advised that this investigation had totally exonerated the players of any wrong doing.

Mr Melick said that the ACB had authorised the investigation following comments that were reported to the Board indicated some South Australian players had sought information from a player manager about the odds of a draw in the Third Test.

"While there is nothing wrong with seeking to know the odds, the ACB was concerned that the players may have placed a bet on the outcome of the game which is clearly inappropriate and a breach of the Code of Behaviour."

Mr Melick said that his investigation had totally exonerated all parties of any wrong doing but that it demonstrated the ACB's willingness to aggressively deal with any hint of inappropriate behaviour.

"With the total co-operation of all the South Australian players and the South Australian Cricket Association administration I was able to establish that:

two players, Darren Lehmann and Peter McIntyre, and team official Tim Neilsen, had discussed the odds of a draw in the game while representing South Australia in Brisbane;

subsequent to that conversation, Peter McIntyre had used Darren Lehmann's phone to ask Lehmann's manager and SACA official, Terry Davies, to ascertain the odds of a draw (it was clear in the investigation that Neilsen had no knowledge of this phone call);

that Davies had provided this information to McIntyre; and

that this information was to satisfy their personal interest and that no bet had been placed by any of these people on the outcome of the game.

"During the course of the investigation I was able to access all relevant phone records and betting accounts held by the players and officials and to examine the betting transactions at the Adelaide Oval on the day in question," Mr Melick said.

"I am completely satisfied that no person investigated a bet on this game."

Mr Speed said that this investigation should be a warning to any player who sought to bet on cricket contrary to the players' Code of Behaviour.

"With the support of the Australian Cricketers' Association, the ACB now has in place a comprehensive and well resourced system to ensure that any credible suggestion levelled against any player is properly investigated and dealt with," Mr Speed said.

Mr Speed said further that Mr Melick's report would be forwarded to the ICC Code of Conduct Commission for its review.

Mark Waugh Tim Nielsen Peter McIntyre Darren Lehmann Asia XI India Australia