No fresh corruption claims 'reassures' ECB as amnesty window closes

London, Apr 30 (ANI): The England Cricket Board (ECB) has been reassured about the fact that an amnesty for reporting of match-fixing approaches has not yielded any significant reports of corruption in the English game.

"The absence of a significant number of new reports is reassuring but the Access Unit [the ECB's anti-corruption and security unit] will rigorously review and report of alleged corruption," The Telegraph quoted Chris Watts, ECB's anti-corruption officer, as saying.

The window closes on Monday after a three-month period in which the ECB's anti-corruption unit approached current and former cricket players.

However, no new reports have been received which might have led to a new live investigation.

The amnesty window was opened in January after English cricketer Mervyn Westfield of Essex, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to spot-fixing offences. He is now out of prison on licence after serving half of a four-month sentence.

"Since the reporting window was established in the middle of January we received information from a range of sources which been managed in confidence and has given us a clear picture of the nature of the threat our game faces from corrupt activities," the former Metropolitan detective claimed.

"We will also continue to work closely with the PCA [Professional Cricketers' Association] to educate all professional cricketers and officials about the importance of reporting any illegal approaches," he added.

The amnesty offered players protection from prosecution for not reporting past approaches. Failure to report an approach would be considered as an offence under the International Cricket Council's code of conduct. (ANI)

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