Journalism of Courage
FORMER Test opening batsman Lou Vincent has confirmed he is one of three New Zealand past players being investigated by the International Cricket Council anti-corruption and security unit over possible match or spot fixing. The other two,according to a New Zealand paper,are former all-rounder Chris Cairns and pace bowler Daryl Tuffey.
The 35-year-old Vincent,who played the last of 23 Tests for New Zealand in 2007,issued a statement to say I am cooperating with an ongoing ICC anti-corruption investigation that has been made public today. He said he was unable to make further comment and asked for privacy while the investigation continues.
Former all-rounder Cairns said he had no contact with ICC officials over match-fixing. Ive yet to be contacted by any of the authorities involved,NZ Cricket or ICC,so to be perfectly honest Im as much in the dark as you guys, Cairns said.
Cairns had been due to provide television commentary on the Test between New Zealand and West Indies at Dunedin on Thursday but left the ground unexpectedly during the day. The New Zealand Herald revealed on Thursday that three New Zealanders were under investigation in what it described as the biggest sports scandal in New Zealands history.
The newspaper later named on its online edition the three players,including fast bowler Tuffey,it alleges are at the center of the ICC probe. It said officials from the ICC anti-corruption and security unit had been in New Zealand over the past four months conducting an investigation.New Zealand Cricket later confirmed that three New Zealanders were under investigation,saying it knew their names but couldnt identify the players during the judicial process.
At times they were casual on the field
The three NZ players reported to be part of ICCs investigations into spot fixing also played for the Indian Cricket League (ICL)side,the Chandigarh Lions. The following is the impression of an Indian player who played with the trio in the ICL. The player,a fast bowler,spoke on the condition of anonimity to Shalini Gupta
Being from the same country,Chris Cairns and Daryl Tuffy seemed to be the best of buddies. Also their rapport was there for all to see because as new-ball bowlers they opened the attack for Chandigarh Lions. In the second edition of the ICL,Cairns and Tuffy did well in the initial matches. They even won Man-of-the-Match awards. However,after few games,their performances started to dip and it was difficult to understand why. They would concede 18-20 runs in certain overs. We used to wonder,how such well-established cricketers would suddenly seem to be off-colour. It was a curious case of a player suddenly losing form,or it seemed like that then.
Lou Vincent was not part of the first edition of the ICL but was included in the team on Cairns insistence. In one of the matches played against Delhi Jets,I was sitting out due to finger injury. Delhi chased down 200 against us. It was baffling to see Cairns and Tuffy go for easy runs like that. At times they were casual on the field.
We did not mix-up much with the trio of Cairns,Tuffy and Vincent. They spend most of their time together.
