Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland on Tuesday said allegations made in a London court implicating Australian players in match-fixing were baseless claims made by a person of “dubious repute”. The details emerged as Mazher Mahmood, the former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct News of the World, gave evidence at the trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.
In recordings played to Southwark Crown Court, an agent, Mazhar Majeed, alleged that Australians, as well as some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket, were prepared to fix parts of matches.
Sutherland said he had serious doubts over Majeed’s integrity. “These comments or allegations would appear to be outlandish and were made by a person of dubious repute,” he said at a press conference.
