England captain Andrew Strauss has urged cricketers to take responsibility and report any match-fixing approaches.

An unnamed county player rejected a match-fixing approach from India, while two Essex players were arrested and bailed for "spot-fixing" this month.

Strauss said his fellow professionals must co-operate with the authorities.

"We've got a duty as players to make sure that if we hear of it, or are approached by someone, we come forward and report it straight away," he said.

"If it is happening, it needs to be stamped out straight away. There's no place for it in any form of cricket.

It is for the good of the game that we flush things out now PCA chief Angus Porter

"It's the only way of ironing it out. For players to be tempted by taking money is ludicrous in my mind. The authorities are doing everything they can, but there is a huge responsibility on the players to make sure it doesn't take hold and spread.

"There are a lot of measures in place to make sure it doesn't happen. Let's hope they continue and be stepped up if necessary."

The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that an anonymous county player was told to name his price by an unnamed Indian businessman to fix the results of televised domestic one-day matches.

Professional Cricketers' Association chief executive Angus Porter told BBC Sport the player's revelations could help to "flush out" corruption in the sport.

"It is for the good of the game that we flush things out now," he said. "In the process, we may uncover things we might not like.

Shakib was approached by a suspicious individual in 2008

"We are already concerned, but also encouraged, that what we are seeing is players reporting these issues."

"It really frustrates me that it's going on in the game," former England skipper Michael Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 live.

"We need to try and clear it out because the game of cricket is great. I don't want any corruption involved with it.

He added: "Senior players within the county game will be targeted. They have a lot of influence within the dressing room and they're coming towards the end of their career so it might be an opportunity to have one last pay day.

"I guess it's those kind of people you have to be watchful of but it could happen to anybody."

Matches in the domestic one-day competitions, the Clydesdale Bank 40 and the Friends Provident T20 are transmitted live to television audiences in India, from where illegal betting rings routinely provide the funds when attempts are made to bribe players or officials.

Lord Condon, the outgoing head of the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), said recently that cricket was now more vulnerable to so-called spot-fixing, which involves a player being paid to perform a specific act at a specific time.

Essex police are currently conducting an investigation into alleged spot-fixing after two players, Mervyn Westfield and Danish Kaneria, were arrested and bailed until September.

Neither player has been suspended by Essex.

Kaneria is currently appearing regularly for the county in Division One of the Championship and is expected to turn out for Pakistan against England later this summer, while Westfield is playing for the county's second XI.

606: DEBATE Give your reaction to this latest revelation

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan revealed he had been approached by an individual eager to act as his "sponsor" before a one-day series against Ireland in 2008.

"It was a long time ago, two-and-a-half years ago, only once," said the 23-year-old. "He called me and I told the guys. That was it.

"I took the phone, and the way he spoke, he never exactly told me he wanted me to fix a match, he just told me he wanted to be my sponsor or something like that.

"I didn't talk to him much because we had a team meeting to go to, so I told him 'I'll talk to you later' and immediately told a member of the board and the ICC guy.

"They took action and after that he never called me again."

Despite the financial incentives on offer, Shakib said he would never submit to the wishes of match-fixers.

"I can't speak for anyone else, but as far as I'm concerned my head wasn't turned at that time," he added.

"What I feel is I am not caring about money. I want to play for my country, that is a great pride for me and I want to continue to do well for my country.

"As far as my family is concerned we are settled enough to lead our lives, so I am not concerned about those monies. If I play well for the next 10 years, the money will come and I won't have to worry about it."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version