The International Cricket Council (ICC) who are the governing body of the game worldwide, has asked players across the world to sign a document on fair play. This, in accordance with the code of conduct drawn up in May, represented only the start in the positive move to cleanse the game from the allegations of match-fixing.

A media release at the conclusion of the two-day ICC executive board and cricket committee-management meetings held in Nairobi, decided to fight against corruption in world cricket which was the dominant topic of discussion. During the discussion, the interim report of Lord Griffiths' Code of Conduct Commission on the Justice Qayyum Inquiry was considered in detail.

The meeting also decided that all international players, umpires, referees, team officials, administrators, employees and curators/groundsmen will be requested to complete confidential declarations before November 30, 2000. These will be issued by the individual boards and returned to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit for analysis. There was a meeting held during the ICC Knock Out competition last week with each of the participating captains fully supported the need to eradicate corruption in the sport.

Asked for his reaction on the declaration document, Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly said "I don't see how that will help. You don't have to have a mobile phone to fix a match. Ultimately it is the players who have to be honest. You can fill 10 such forms and still tank a match. It is up to the players. After all Hansie Cronje swore all along that he was clean." But when it was pointed out that the ICC is taking up this exercise to revive the sagging image of the game, Ganguly's response was "I can understand that. This is the maximum they can do. But like I said it all depends on the players."

Meanwhile, the Union Sports Minister SS Dhindsa on Thursday said in New Delhi that the interim report by the CBI on the match fixing scandal will be submitted to him in the next few days. Dhindsa said he would seek legal opinion before deciding on any action. Dhindsa said "I'll read the report. I will also get it legally examined" and added that the report would be officially released during the winter session of Parliament in November.

In a related development, Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, chairman of the Cricketers' Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) denied in Sharjah on Thursday that the matches played at the venue has been fixed. Talking to Gulf News, Bukhatir said "People have said Sharjah is involved in match fixing but the fact is that nothing has been established. It is easy to say it all happens in Sharjah but all the incidents (of bribery and betting) have actually come out of either South Africa, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand or England."

Bukhatir added "Barring an isolated incident of a run out, no one has come out to substantiate the allegations that match-fixing happens in Sharjah. For that matter, none of the off-shore centres have featured in the allegations." Emphasizing the point that Sharjah was clean, Bukhatir said "Pakistan is alleged to be the most fixable team but they have won over 90 per cent of their matches here, then how can Sharjah be the centre of match fixing?"

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