Tim May, the head of the international players association, has expressed outrage over suggestions made by Lord Condon that every team was involved in match-rigging shortly before his time in charge of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit.
Lord Condon, who was invited to head the ICC’s anti-corruption unit in 2000 after retiring as commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, suggested in the Evening Standard that before his time in office cricket had become deeply dishonest. “In the late 1990s, Test and World Cup matches were being routinely fixed. There were a number of teams involved in fixing, and certainly more than the Indian sub-continent teams were involved,” he said. “Every international team, at some stage, had someone doing some funny stuff. A whole generation of cricketers playing in the late 1990s must have known what was going on and did nothing. When they look back on their careers, a bit of shame must creep in.” It is Lord Condon’s implication that all countries were involved in match-fixing that has angered May, whose comments have the full support of England’s Professional Cricketers’ Association. “Player Associations are getting sick and tired of people coming out making these general accusations, the effect of which cast doubts over the entire player base,” May said. “If people are going to make these type of accusations, make sure that they are specific and make sure that you have the proof to back up such claims. “You have to ask the question if the ICC knew such facts and had such information, why was there no retrospective action taken by the ICC or the individual Boards.” There were no criminal trials against players during Lord Condon’s time as head of the ACU.
May was an international cricketer for Australia in the period that Lord Condon depicted as widely corrupt. To contend that a whole generation of cricketers knew what was going on was “without foundation” he said as no evidence of widespread corruption had ever been made public. He also took issue with Lord Condon’s suggestion that international players in the 1990s should feel shame. “That is an excessive observation,” he said. “There was no education re corruption in cricket, no reporting structures and a general lack of genuine concern from authorities re the issue.” May did support Lord Condon on one aspect. “I can readily agree with Sir Paul in one regard – his belief that players should be more closely involved by the ICC in the search for solutions. “FICA and its member associations have for a long time being pushing for greater involvement with anti-corruption education and input into general anti-corruption issues, and welcome the call from Lord Condon for cricket’s governing bodies to recognise the importance of establishing and empowering strong player associations in all countries where cricket is played.”
