NZC backs Brendon McCullum, who was approached by ‘hero’ to fix matches

NZC says it is 'dismayed' that testimony by McCullum to investigators has been leaked to British newspaper.

McCullum is reported to have said he was “really shocked” at the approach because the player involved was “a good friend” and a hero to him. (BCCI/IPL)

Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that McCullum told investigators he was offered more than 100,000 British pounds by a former star player to underperform. McCullum is reported to have said he was “really shocked” at the approach because the player involved was “a good friend” and a hero to him.

New Zealand Cricket says it is ‘dismayed’ that testimony given by Brendon McCullum to anti-corruption investigators has been leaked to a British newspaper and expressed total confidence in the test captain.

The Daily Mail reported that the same former international player was also the one who lured batsman Lou Vincent into fixing matches in both county cricket and in the short-lived Indian Cricket League. The report said the former player approached McCullum and tried to bribe him in a Worcester cafe during New Zealand’s tour in 2008 and also ahead of the inaugural IPL. The former player apparently advised McCullum on how exactly to go about fixing games and how to bury the money trail. He also told McCullum that several international stars were involved.

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“The detail of McCullum’s evidence includes how the former star told him how to fix by batting slowly and to hide the money trail by buying property through an employee of the world game’s governing body,” the Daily Mail reported.

According to the leaked testimony: “We spent some time talking about various things over dinner. During the course of this conversation he asked me if I knew what spread betting was in cricket games. I told him not really, so he took a piece of paper and wrote down and explained the process to me.

“I was really shocked as I saw X as a good friend and it totally confused me. X said that everybody was doing this in games. He said that the “Big Boys” in international cricket were doing it and he didn’t want me to miss out… Using the piece of paper, X explained the basic principles which were to score below a certain rate for the first six or so overs and then towards the end of the game there was another split. X told me he had done this himself.

“X told me that you don’t take or send it back to New Zealand. He explained that he had a man in Dubai who was associated with cricket. Through him you purchase a property in Dubai which you retain for a couple of years before selling it. The money could then be moved wherever you want to send it because to all intents and purposes, it would appear to be profit from property deals.”

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Though McCullum says he “never, ever fixed”, it took him a while to report the incident as the player who approached him was a hero and a friend and because he was in a state of shock.

New Zealand Cricket said in a statement: “We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them. NZC has 100 percent confidence in our captain.”

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