India is not in the best of health right now due to the coronavirus; even their first passion, cricket, the Indian Premier League, has been postponed, affecting the Indian cricket board. Additionally, the ICC reported that reports of the Indian cricket team involved in match-fixing were baseless.
Such news undoubtedly affects not only the squad but also the visiting side. Fortunately, India and New Zealand will play the World Test Championship final in alternate venues. Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared that match-fixing claims against the Indian Cricket Team were false due to a lack of facts.
Al-Jazeera Alleges That Indian Test Matches Are Fixed
The Indian team must deal with such heightened allegations made by the well-known news agency. In response, the ICC (International Cricket Council) issued some serious statements regarding the allegations. According to Al Jazeera, “passages of play described as fixed were entirely predictable, rendering them “implausible as a fix.”
It all came to light following Al Jazeera’s documentary ‘Cricket Match Fixer’ in 2018. They alleged that India’s 2016 match against England in Chennai and 2017 match against Australia in Ranchi was fixed.
Aneel Munawar, one of the bookies featured in the documentary, is seen alleging links to the Indian cricket team. Additionally, it is linked to the tradition of match-fixing. The ICC Cleared The Air and Claimed That India Was Not Involved When all of these events occurred, the ICC launched an investigation and issued a statement. “According to the program, two matches were rigged: In 2016, India faced England in Chennai, and in 2017, India faced Australia in Ranchi.
To find a more suitable solution and exonerate the Indian Cricket team from these charges. The ICC enlisted four cricket experts and an independent betting firm to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the situation. However, when four of the participants concluded, they stated that the software was predictable, making a remedy implausible.
The Investigations Team and the Overarching Agenda
As the ICC has not publicly identified the representatives who have been cleared of the probe, but according to reports, they include former Pakistani cricketer Hasan Raza, Sri Lankan Tharanga Indika, and Tharindu Mendis.
They had been a part of the investigative team. Additionally, the ICC stated that none of the five participants would face charges under the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code. Due to an absence of proof presented. The ICC is concentrating its efforts on three primary areas: the program’s allegations, the perpetrators involved, and how the program gathered evidence.
Alex Marshall, Gm of the Integrity Unit, said,
“Based on the program, the filmed Participants to the Code seem to have acted suspiciously; however, we have been unable to ascertain the full meaning of the conversations that occurred beyond what was seen on screen versus what the Participants say occurred. Marshall said that it would be unjust to bring high-level charges due to the lack of evidence. Without a doubt, the ICC handled the whole situation admirably and did not generate any distractions for the Indian cricket team. Virat Kohli’s side is preparing for the final World Test Championship match against New Zealand in a few months.