Published: Dec 05, 2013, 03:48 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 05, 2013, 03:53 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Mumbai: Dec 5, 2013
Balvinder Singh Sandhu, the former India cricketer has said that he isn’t surprised by reports of three former New Zealand cricketers — Chris Cairns, Daryl Tuffey and Lou Vincent — coming under the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) scanner for allegations of match-fixing. Sandhu was the coach of the Chandigarh Lions in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), for whom the three New Zealanders played.
The ICC released a statement saying that investigations are on by its Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). New Zealand Cricket (NZC) also confirmed the same, although matches under its jurisdiction aren’t being investigated.
Sandhu told CricketCountry, “I am not surprised at all by the names coming up because they were doing fishy things when they played in the ICL. I suspected Cairns then, but there was no concrete evidence against him.”
In 2012, Cairns successfully sued former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi for libel as his tweets that had alleged that the New Zealander was involved in match-fixing during the ICL. Cairns was asked to leave from the second season of the ICL for “not disclosing an injury.”
Sandhu, who wasn’t Chandigarh’s coach when Cairns was sent back, said, “Why was Cairns asked to leave ICL? There is no evidence of course. But, perhaps if you would ask some Chandigarh players, they may come out and say they were approached.”
The ICC’s investigations are on and Sandhu is hoping they find the guilty parties. “The ICC has done well to look into this and I hope they are serious about it. If they are involved, they should be banned.”
This news has certainly sent shock-waves in the cricket world. Cairns is one of the finest cricketers New Zealand has produced and allegations against him threaten to mar his contribution to the game.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_44)
