The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has cleared Brian Lara of match-fixing charges which were levelled against him following allegations made by Indian investigators two years ago. A statement released on Monday by the WICB said that an internal investigation carried out by Elliott Mottley, a Barbadian attorney-at-law, found no evidence to support the allegations made against Lara.

According to Wesley Hall, president of the WICB: "Mr. Mottley's investigation on behalf of the West Indies Cricket Board has indicated that the allegations made against Brian were unfounded and not supported by any evidence. We now consider that this matter is hereby officially closed." The WICB has also submitted its report to the International Cricket Council.

In the course of the probe, commissioned in April last year, Mottley conducted personal interviews with several people, including Lara, and visited ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit for discussions with Paul Condon and his staff.

Lara and other players, including Alec Stewart and Mohammad Azharuddin, were accused of taking money from bookmakers in return for pre-match information. The allegations were contained in a report by India's Central Bureau of Investigation released in November 2000.

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