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West Indies Under-19 held off Kent by 28 runs in a low-scoring contest at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium to record their first win of the Regional Super50. Sent in to bat, West Indies Under-19 were bowled out for 155 in 46.3 overs. They then spun out Kent for 127 in just 34 overs, with 16-year old left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop taking 4 for 44.Kent were 76 for 2 before Bishop ripped through the middle order. He first dismissed Darren Stevens for 18 in the 18th over, before striking thrice in the 22nd over. Then off the next, Bhaskar Yadram took the first of his three wickets by bowling Matt Coles for a duck, as Kent lost four for three runs to slide from 92 for 3 to 95 for 7.Captain Sam Northeast, who was at the non-striker’s end throughout the mayhem, tried to weather the storm, making 37 before he was ninth man out to Keemo Paul. Yadram then removed tailender Ivan Thomas to end the match with figures of 3 for 6 in five overs, clinching an improbable win.A 59-run second-wicket partnership between Matthew Patrick and Yadram produced the bulk of the runs for West Indies Under-19. Patrick top-scored with 45 off 79 balls while Yadram’s 29 wound up being the third highest total in the match to go along with his three wickets later on in a solid all-round performance.Trinidad & Tobago produced a tremendous fightback to win a thriller by 11 runs over Leeward Islands at Coolidge. Defending 226, they appeared well out of the game after a 115-run opening stand by Leewards captain Kieran Powell and Montcin Hodge. But the wicket of Powell in the 27th over, stumped after being unable to reach a ball dragged wider outside off stump by left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, sparked a slide which resulted in Leewards losing all ten wickets for 100 runs and slump to their first loss of the tournament.Pierre struck in the 31st and 35th overs in identical fashion to remove Nkrumah Bonner and Marlon Samuels, both batsmen skipping down the track to clear mid-on, only to miscue them to Rayad Emrit at long-off. Emrit then struck a crucial blow to remove Hodge for 82, producing an edge behind to Denesh Ramdin on a failed attempt to guide a single to third man. Only two other batsmen made double-digits with 16 extras winding up as the next best contribution outside of the openers.Pierre was named named Man of the Match after finishing with 4 for 40. He induced a leading edge from Jahmar Hamilton for his fourth , and concluded his day with another fine moment at the end of the 46th over, running out Gavin Tonge from long-on with a relay to Ramdin for the ninth wicket with 20 required to win. Shannon Gabriel defeated Jason Campbell’s heave across the line in the 49th over to end the match.Campbell’s efforts with the ball went in vain after he had set up the dramatic second innings, taking 5 for 37 with his left-arm spin in the first innings. Nicholas Alexis made 50 at No. 3 for T&T but Imran Khan’s 45 not out at No. 6 ensured they batted through the 50 overs. Roger Primus fell in the 39th over to make it 151 for 6 and Khan shepherded T&T’s long tail through the final 11 overs before they ended on 226 for 9, which ended up being just enough to secure their third win, putting them just a bonus point behind Leewards for the top spot in Group A.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSydney Sixers finished their BBL campaign in fourth position after cleaning up their fourth successful run chase on the trot. With the fixtures yet to be played, there is no mathematical way the side will remain in contention for the playoffs, but they averted the train wreck they were on track for after losing their first six games.Hunting 190 for victory in a highly entertaining match, it was never in doubt for the hosts after Nic Maddinson got motoring in a punishing 108-run stand with Joe Denly, punctuated by the former collecting six boundaries from one James Faulkner over.Maddinson’s match-winning hand of 61 off 26 balls included two sixes that travelled more than 100 metres. English import Denly did the rest with an unbeaten 72, the Sixers home with 15 balls and five wickets to spare.Earlier, it looked like another player outside Australia’s 50-over team, Glenn Maxwell, would be winning headlines on the night when clobbering 84 off 47 balls. It wasn’t enough to earn the Stars a victory, but it was a timely reminder to the national coach Darren Lehmann in the commentary box that there are very few better in the white-ball world.Maxwell on a mission
Elevated to first drop in Kevin Pietersen’s absence, Maxwell issued a sign of what was to come by flicking Sean Abbott from off stump over square leg for six. Normal people can’t do that. Next ball, he popped him over cow corner. A pair of neat ramps off Carlos Brathwaite reinforced that the right-hander is more than muscle. Then, seemingly offended by part-timer Joe Denly’s introduction, he dismissed him over midwicket. The Victorian was flying the best way he knows how.It was only an exaggerated switch-hit off Nathan Lyon that slowed Maxwell, pinching a nerve in his neck. But soon enough, he was back slaying through cover before hoicking Ben Dwarshuis over the backward square rope to complete a 23-ball half-century.It didn’t end there. Somehow he made room to ping Johan Botha from outside leg stump behind point before locating the same boundary twice more off Abbott. Maxwell didn’t quite complete his mission, holing out off Brathwaite on 84, leaving a century on the shelf, but he had made it the Stars’ game to lose.A word for Rob Quiney, who played with equal freedom taking Moises Henriques down before striking Lyon gracefully twice down the ground for six. By the time the offspinner had him stumped, the Stars pair had put on 119 in 59 balls. That foundation was laid.Getty Images

Sixers fight back at the perfect time
With 150 on the board, six wickets in hand and five overs to come, the Stars were coasting to a 200-plus target. But the departure of the two set men changed the tone of the contest. Sure, 39 runs still came from the final five overs. But five overs also elapsed between the 14th and 19th over where a boundary wasn’t struck. Momentum, and all that.The Sixers won chasing in their final three fixtures and the window was now open for them on a true surface. Even if they would be one down with the bat after Jordan Silk had suffered a serious collarbone injury diving to save a boundary. From nowhere 30 minutes earlier, they were vaguely back in business.Maddinson powers on with a rare set
With dew in the air, the assessment of Maddinson was that the pitch was getting quick at the right time to take full advantage during the Sixers’ Powerplay. They suffered a setback when Daniel Hughes was caught magnificently by Evan Gulbis in the first over, but it didn’t dissuade the left-hander from going hard from the get-go. To begin, Daniel Worrall was plonked over his head and all the way by Maddinson. In the next over, Denly did likewise to the spin of Beer to get his night going. When Maddinson then pulled Worrall into the second tier of the grandstand, the party was well and truly started.But it was the fifth over that mattered most. Even in this inflated era of short-form scoring, it remains rare to see six boundaries in an over. Maddinson was in such good touch that he achieved that against the man adjudged Player of the World Cup just three years ago. Granted, the first of those did come from an edge, but the rest were controlled behind square and thrashed through cover. “Some of the best striking in BBL history” according to Ricky Ponting.Denly does the rest to finish his Sydney cameo in style
An inside edge was enough for Maddinson to raise his half-century in 22 balls, equalling his personal best. In this environment, 20-year-old left-arm wristspinner Liam Bowe never had a chance, and was pulverised for 21 from his first set. With the stand beyond 100 and the runs required to seven an over, it mattered little that Maddinson fell leg before with the score on 115 with fewer than seven an over now needed.Moises Henriques started aggressively, tucking into Bowe for another 15 runs from his second over. Denly’s 32-ball half-century looked sedate by comparison, but only went to show what a savvy acquisition he was for the Sixers to replace Jason Roy.

Dinesh Karthik will lead the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2018. It will be his first season with them, having been bought at the auction in February for INR 7.4 crores (approx USD 1.1 million). An old hand, Robin Uthappa, who was also among the top contenders for the job, has been appointed vice-captain.

Venkatesh Prasad joins Kings XI Punjab

Venkatesh Prasad was announced as Kings XI Punjab’s bowling coach on Sunday. He had recently quit as chairman of India’s junior selection panel in anticipation of picking up a job at the IPL and keeping both positions would have left him on the wrong side of the conflict of interest rules as advocated by the Lodha panel.
Prasad was the bowling coach at Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008 during the first season of the IPL. He then took the same role at Chennai Super Kings from 2009-10 before moving back to Royal Challengers between 2011-13.

Karthik, 32, has been part of the IPL since its inception in 2008, and he has played for five different teams – Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and most recently Gujarat Lions. He has also been stand-in captain for some of those teams, and has long been part of the leadership group with his home state Tamil Nadu.”I think the thing that stood out is that DK is at the age now in his career where he’s got the best years of his career in front of him,” assistant coach Simon Katich told . “He’s been involved in the IPL for 10 years. He’s got a fantastic domestic record captaining Tamil Nadu in the T20 tournament there. I think he’s got a 72% win-rate which is outstanding as a T20 skipper.”Karthik takes over from Gautam Gambhir, who is the Knight Riders’ leading run-scorer and took them to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Venky Mysore, the CEO of the franchise, said they were keen to retain Gambhir for the 2018 season as well but the player had asked for a fresh start. It appears KKR are also chasing the same by putting a man who is yet to make his debut for them as their captain.”The team that Gambhir led in the last seven years, I think he’s done a fabulous job. “Karthik said. “He’s left a sort of legacy which is the kind of thing I’d like to do, where you leave the team in good hands, and you take a team that was probably doing well and take it to a different level altogether. I would definitely like to be a part of that journey.”Knight Riders went all out to pick up the lynch pins of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning squad – Shubman Gill (approx USD 281,000), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (approx USD 500,000) and Shivam Mavi (approx USD 468,000) – and Karthik was keen to see how they fare in the IPL. “It’s a very young side. There are few very interesting talents from the India Under-19s that we’ve picked up. I’m really looking forward to meeting them, interacting with them and getting the best out of them.”Uthappa, the 32-year old who has played for the Knight Riders since 2014, might have missed out on the chance to lead them on account of limited captaincy experience. He has been at the helm of eight T20 matches, whereas Karthik’s corresponding figure is 18.”To come in at this role is really exciting for me,” Uthappa said. “I’ve been able to add value to the team in the past in different scenarios in different forms. This gives me a more direct impact within the decision-making group so I hope to be adding the kind of value that bring us championships.”I’m sure all of Kolkata will be right behind DK, as will I and as will the rest of the team. I’m going to be available to DK anytime he needs me, always ready to share my inputs. DK and I have known each other since our Under-17 days, so looking forward to working with him”The 11th season of the IPL begins on April 7 in Mumbai.

Cricket Australia has banned Andre Russell’s black bat from the Big Bash League, having previously approved its use during the Sydney Thunder’s first match of the tournament.Russell used the black bat on Tuesday as the Thunder lost to the Sydney Sixers. Cricket Australia said at the time that players could use a coloured bat subject to CA approval – provided it was either black or the same colour as the team’s uniform – and that Russell’s bat had been approved ahead of the BBL.However, CA has now withdrawn its approval after discovering that the bat left visible marks on the ball.”The match officials provided feedback to Cricket Australia that the bat used by Andre left black marks on the match ball,” Anthony Everard, the head of the BBL, said. “As a result, we have decided to withdraw our approval for Andre to use the bat that was used last night as the colour solution used by the manufacturer was discolouring the ball.”Should Andre, or any other BBL or WBBL player for that matter, wish to use a bat with a different colouring solution to the one used last night that doesn’t result in the discolouration of the match ball, they will be permitted to do so subject to Cricket Australia being satisfied that the bat won’t compromise the integrity of the game, which we believe discolouring the match ball does.”Chris Gayle had used a gold coloured bat in last year’s BBL, produced by the same bat manufacturers, Spartan.A MCC spokesman confirmed that the relevant Law is 6.6(d) which states: “The surface of the blade may be treated with non-solid materials to improve resistance to moisture penetration and/or mask natural blemishes in the appearance of the wood. Save for the purpose of giving a homogeneous appearance by masking natural blemishes, such treatment must not materially alter the colour of the blade.”Cricket Australia are empowered to introduce playing regulations to overwrite this, although they seem merely to have given approval in an individual circumstance, now withdrawn. The ECB banned Ashar Zaidi from using a bat adorned in rudimentary fashion with spray paint in the NatWest Blast last season because it flouted their own regulations which disallow colouring below the top nine inches of the blade.Ashar Zaidi’s version of the black bat was also outlawed by the ECB•Getty Images

Sri Lanka fast bowler Shaminda Eranga’s bowling action has been cleared and he can resume bowling in international cricket. Eranga underwent a reassessment of his action at the ICC accredited testing centre in Chennai with the conclusion that the amount of elbow extension in his standard deliveries was within the 15-degree level allowed by the ICC.Eranga’s bowling action was found illegal in June last year after it was reported following the second Test in England. His action was assessed in Loughborough on June 6 when it was found illegal.Incidentally, he was suspended from bowling in international cricket on the same day as he was hospitalised for experiencing an elevated heartbeat.Eranga had played the third Test against England after his action was reported and the subsequent two ODIs against Ireland in June. He has not played any competitive cricket since then.

Sam Northeast, who was given permission to speak to other counties last month by Kent, has joined Hampshire on a long-term contract. At least eight clubs were keen to sign him – a greater number, it is believed, than have sought any English cricketer in the past. Northeast almost moved to the Ageas Bowl three years ago and, having been replaced as Kent captain after signalling he would not sign a new contract, now believes he has to play in the first division in order to be in contention for selection by England.At the age of 28, Northeast is approaching his peak years. A batsman in England, according to another former Kent captain, Colin Cowdrey, does not reach his prime until he is 30. So Hampshire are acquiring a proven run-scorer, one who will not be absent through Test cricket or the IPL for the time being and an individual whose family are close friends with Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, and his family. Northeast is likely to bat at No. 4, coming in after James Vince, England’s most-recent Test No. 3.Geographically, Northeast is better suited to joining Hampshire than Lancashire or Nottinghamshire, although Southampton is too far to commute from the home he bought recently in Canterbury. Essex, the county champions, were keen to sign him as well, but he was unsure where he would fit into their batting order. Joining Sussex, the closest club, and Jason Gillespie – who believed Northeast should have gone to Australia with the full Test party – would have meant remaining in the second division.So for Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, this is a fillip after the disappointment of not being granted an Ashes Test in 2023. His plans to continue developing the club and the Ageas Bowl will continue apace, also, with a proposed second hotel, possibly a boutique one, owing to the high demand on space at the Hilton. Hampshire will have to pay compensation to buy Northeast out of the remaining year of his contract, but it will not be the equivalent of his salary. An official announcement is expected next week.Kent maintain that they offered Northeast one of the best contracts in their history to stay with them beyond this season. Although the captaincy is an annual appointment, they were not prepared to allow him to remain as captain for this year unless he signed an extension. “We wanted to plan for the future and spoke to Sam for several months, but he did not want to stay,” said a spokesman.Northeast, who grew up on the Kent coast at Deal and first played for Kent when still at school, was told last year by Matt Walker, the head coach, that he was not their preferred choice of captain. Their relationship broke down irretrievably – to the extent that Northeast stayed away from the St Lawrence ground and practised instead at Beckenham. He has also been frustrated by the club’s shortage of finance – largely caused by poor management in the past – and, despite a number of talented young players on the staff, not gaining promotion.He sought a meeting last month with Simon Philip, the new chairman, but discovered that only Jamie Clifford, the chief executive who was on the cusp of leaving to join MCC, and Graham Johnson, the chairman of the cricket committee who is not standing for re-election to the main committee at the annual meeting this spring, would be present. In that Kent have to start the new season without Sam Billings, their new captain, who will be tied up with the IPL, quite apart from not having Northeast’s runs to play with, this change appears to make little sense. Billings will miss the first five or six Championship matches of the summer.In terms of the breakdown of communication and lack of information to the club’s supporters and members, this sorry episode is uncannily reminiscent of the departure of Mike Denness, the most successful captain in Kent’s history, and who had captained England, in 1976. What Kent would give now for the two trophies he won that season.

Scorecard
In a nutshellKumar Sangakkara’s best form since international retirement wasn’t enough to overhaul Lahore Qalandars’ top-heavy batting performance in the latter’s seven-run win. In an entertaining contest at the Sharjah Stadium, Brendon McCullum’s men struggled to deliver a knockout blow to Karachi Kings, which meant the win looked narrower than it actually was. Karachi’s chase of 180 looked an uphill battle from the start, with the beleaguered Chris Gayle holing out to long-off in the second over of the chase bowled by Sunil Narine. Karachi’s challenge, in truth, lasted for the duration of the 101-run third-wicket partnership between Sangakarra and Shoaib Malik. When the pair fell within five balls of each other, the chase swiftly faded.Lahore’s captain McCullum’s lean run also continued, as he dragged a straight delivery on for a second successive duck, but the rest of the batsmen demonstrated that the horror innings against Peshawar Zalmi, where they were bowled out for 59, had not dissuaded them from going for their shots. Fakhar Zaman and Jason Roy shrugged off their captain’s departure to plunder 57 runs by the sixth over. Zaman barely noticed Roy’s dismissal, or indeed the end of the Powerplay, as he and Umar Akmal continued to swing from the hip. Karachi did not help themselves, dropping a pair of fairly routine catches that would have sent the pair packing earlier. By the end of the 13th over, Lahore were 125 for 4, and looked set for 200, and while they didn’t quite manage that, their final score of 179 was good in the end anyway.Where the match was wonA slow start is often costly in any T20 contest but when chasing 180, it is almost decisive. Gayle looked a tortured shell of his usual self in his seven-ball stay at the crease, and Babar Azam played a lazy shot to gift third man an easy catch. Sangakarra began brightly, his timing as well as placement his vintage majestic self, but with Malik also struggling early on, Karachi only mustered 60 runs in the first nine overs. The innings really only burst into life off the back of a poor tenth over from Bilawal Bhatti, and 53 runs came off the next four overs. But the slow start meant Karachi’s asking rate never really came down to a point when the pressure was off, and Sangakarra ultimately fell playing the high-risk cricket that was the only option before the side.The men that won itNarine, the bowling equivalent of McCullum in T20s, has lived up to his billing all tournament. He was at his wily, unplayable best today, turning the ball sharply off the Sharjah surface with no batsman seeming to pick him up properly. It appeared that as long as Lahore could turn to him, they were ahead in the game. It helped, of course, that the two wickets he took were of Gayle and Kieron Pollard. The mystery Narine continues to carry in his arsenal was epitomised by Pollard’s cluelessness as he played all around an offspinner.File photo – Sunil Narine removed Gayle and Pollard•AFP

Fielding fitThe fielding between the two sides was particularly stark. While Lahore looked sharp and alert under the stewardship of McCullum, taking their catches and hitting the stumps regularly, Karachi were sloppy. Zaman and Akmal had comfortable chances put down – the former, unhelpfully, by Sangakarra – and Karachi regularly struggled to stop ones from turning into twos. Given that the margin of defeat was only seven runs, such sloppiness cost them dear and they can ill-afford such untidiness in the following games if they have to lift themselves from the bottom of the table.The moment of the matchThe abiding memory of this game will undoubtedly be the century stand between Malik and Sangakarra, boasting a combined age of 74. Sangakarra’s lofted cover drive, in particular, is a shot worth the clichéd admission fee on its own. On consecutive deliveries off the unfortunate Yasir Shah in the thirteenth over, he showcased both his finesse and destructive power, timing the first over extra cover for four. Yasir went straighter next ball, but was still brave enough to flight the ball generously. Fortune didn’t favour him, as Sangakkara slog-swept him – still gracefully, somehow – onto the Sharjah roof. It might not have been decisive, but it was certainly delightful.Where they standLahore’s up-and-down season continues, with McCullum’s men managing two wins and two losses. They have four points, and sit fourth in the table on net run rate. Karachi are yet to manage a win in their three games.

Sussex Sharks won their final group game in the NatWest T20 Blast when they beat Essex Eagles by 55 runs at Hove on Friday. But their convincing victory was still not enough to see them through to the quarter-finals of the competition as they were edged out of the tournament on Net Run Rate.Chris Nash’s 73 gave Sussex the edge as he batted with Luke Wright as a runner towards the end of his innings after pulling up in pain following a quick single.Chris Nash batted with a runner but his efforts were in vain•Getty Images

Essex never looked likely to get close to a target of 173 on the thrilling last night of the competition’s group stages.Unlike Sussex earlier in the evening, their Essex innings got off to an awful start. Varun Chopra was out in the first over when he hit Danny Briggs to deep midwicket. And the wickets continued to fall.Dan Lawrence was caught in the covers when he got a think edge to one from David Wiese and the bowler struck again in the same over when Ravi Bopara was well caught behind buy the diving Ben Brown to make it 33 for 3 in the fourth over.It was 45 for 4 when James Foster was caught behind and Essex were in deep trouble at 49 for 5 in the eighth over when Will Beer had Ashar Zaidi caught at deep square-leg. Everything now depended on Ryan ten Doeschate. But when he hit Beer high in the direction of cow corner Chris Jordan took an excellent running catch. After that even some late clouting from Paul Walter and Simon Harmer could not get the Eagles close.When Sussex batted Chris Nash was once again their star, with an innings of 73 off 55 deliveries. It was his sixth half-century in the competition this year as he continued to turn around his disappointing early season form.There were seven fours and two sixes in his innings which ended unluckily in the penultimate over when, playing a ramp shot off Mohammad Amir, he flicked a bail off his stumps with the stroke.Nash and Luke Wright put on 84 for the first wicket before Wright, attempting a straight six, was caught just inside the boundary by Ryan ten Doeschate for a 23-ball 37 in the ninth over.The Sussex innings stumbled as they lost three wickets while scoring 18 runs off four overs. Sussex were without skipper Ross Taylor, who had returned home to New Zealand for family reasons. But Nash finally found the support he needed in Laurie Evans, who hit an astonishing six over midwicket off Jamie Porter on his way to 47 off 34 deliveries.

ScorecardAssociated Press

Bangladesh A took a 2-0 lead against Ireland A after their eight-wicket win in the third unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar. Left-arm fast bowler Abu Hider starred with the ball, bagging a three-for, as the visitors were skittled out only for 103 runs. The home side won with 27 overs to spare.Andy Balbirnie’s decision to bat first backfired for the entire Ireland A batting line-up, barring himself. His 90-ball 52 amounted to more than half of the team total and featured three fours and a six. Having come in at No. 3, he added 48 runs for the seventh wicket with Shane Getkate, whose 23 was the only other double-digit score by an Ireland batsman other than Balbirnie’s.After Balbirnie fell to legspinner Tanbir Hayder in the 33rd over, Ireland added one more run at the expense of the last three wickets.Hider took out three of the top five batsmen – Stuart Poynter, Sean Terry and Simi Singh – while Sunzamul Islam and Hayder bagged two each. Subashis Roy, Abul Hasan and Al Amin also took one wicket apiece.Both openers got starts but failed to sustain their innings. Anamul Haque, playing his first match of the series, fell for 20, while Shadman could only amass 24. Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto subsequently took Bangladesh A home with an unbeaten 41 off 38 balls.The fourth and fifth ODIs are scheduled to be held on October 25 and 26 in Cox’s Bazar.

Criminal charges may result from allegations of corruption in Australian cricket, the ICC has warned, as an investigation began in earnest in the wake of claims that the ongoing third Ashes Test at the WACA has been targeted by spot-fixers.According to a report in The Sun, two men asked the newspaper’s undercover reporters for up to £140,000 (USD187,000) to “spot fix” markets in the third Test, such as the exact amount of runs scored in an over. No individual players on either team were singled out in the report.The ICC responded with a statement from Alex Marshall, general manager anti-corruption, who said there was currently “no evidence” that the Perth Test had been corrupted. He later added that the ACSU would be cross-referencing the new information from The Sun with their existing intelligence, and confirmed that they would push for prosecution if it was deemed that offences had taken place in countries, such as Australia, where match-fixing is a criminal offence.”It is obviously very early stages and our priority on receiving everything from The Sun late last night was to consider whether the integrity of the third Ashes Test had been compromised,” said Marshall. “There is no evidence, either from The Sun or via our own intelligence, to suggest the current Test match has been corrupted. At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this Test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.”We are now working through the rest of the information from The Sun as part of what will be a wide-ranging investigation and we will map this against our own existing intelligence and live investigations to look for any corroboration or cross over. We are taking these allegations very seriously and will follow the correct processes of a thorough investigation. We will look for clear and usable evidence that proves or disproves the allegations made. This will include looking for corroboration, speaking to key witnesses and securing all relevant evidential material.”This will not be concluded overnight and we will be working with ACU colleagues from Member countries to investigate every single allegation in full. We will not be making any comment in relation to the identity of any individual names in the dossier whilst this investigation is ongoing.””The allegations are wide ranging and relate to various forms cricket in several countries, including T20 tournaments. We will look closely at all the information as part of our investigation. We ask anyone with information about these allegations to get in touch with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit via [email protected].”The ACSU’s sentiments were echoed by England and Australia officials. “Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach against anybody trying to bring the game into disrepute,” said a CA spokesman.”Cricket Australia will co-operate fully with any ICC Anti-Corruption Unit investigation.”Australian cricket has a long-standing, proactive approach to sports integrity management and Cricket Australia has a dedicated Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to prevent corruption within Australian domestic comptetitons, including the BBL.”In addition to this, all players participating in CA sanctioned competitions, including the BBL, are required to complete an anti-corruption education session before they can compete.”CA works closely with the ICC ACU on all international fixtures played in Australia.”Players are able to report any suspicions they have on a confidential basis and in the past there has been a strong Australian player culture to do so.”An ECB spokesman added: “ECB work closely with the ICC and their Anti-Corruption unit to protect the integrity of the international game. We are aware of these allegations and there is no suggestion that any of the England team is involved in any way.”The game’s most high profile spot-fixing scandal was broken by the now-defunct – sister paper to – in 2010, which led to Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif being given prison sentences for bowling deliberate no-balls in a Test at Lord’s.Marshall confirmed that similar action could be on the cards if deemed appropriate. Recent legislative changes at state and federal levels have made fixing a criminal offence in Australia and New Zealand, while in the UK it is covered under the Bribery Act.”Nothing has been referred [to the police] as yet because we are still assessing the information,” he said. “If we deem that offences have taken place in countries where match-fixing is illegal then yes we will work with the local police and report our concerns and share information to push for prosecution.””As with any investigation we will use all options available to us should we deem it necessary and appropriate. The ability to download mobile phones is one part of the investigative toolkit for us.””We are conducting a live investigation and will do that by focusing on the facts, intelligence and evidence at hand. We will be looking in detail at the allegations, looking for any corroboration of what has been alleged, either from the Sun’s own investigation or our own intelligence, and we will be examining whether there is any evidence which we can now use and take forward. We will do this without further speculation or comment.”Australia’s wicketkeeper Tim Paine said the allegations had not been a distraction to him during the first day of the Test match, and reiterated that he and others in the team had long been educated about the pitfalls of corruption.”I heard very briefly about it this morning, not a lot else about it,” he said. “What I do know is that all of our guys have been educated on that sort of stuff for a long time, I’ve been contracted since I was 16 and been through it every year, so we certainly know what’s right and wrong and I know there’s no-one in our team who’s involved in any way.”