0 Some good news for cricket lovers

New Zealand Cricket has released the pre-World Cup schedule for this summer. And there's good news for those who have been calling for a Boxing Day test, but it comes with a twist; check this out:

Christchurch’s Hagley Oval is poised to host New Zealand’s first Boxing Day Test in more than a decade, and the first ever in the South Island, in the ANZ International Series 2014-15.

Starved of international cricket since the 2011 earthquake, Christchurch makes a return to New Zealand Cricket’s international programme this summer, with Hagley Oval being awarded both the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka and the opening One Day International against the same opponents.

Hagley Oval will later host the opening match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, also against Sri Lanka.

Another highlight of the ANZ International Series 2014-15 is confirmation of Tauranga’s Bay Oval as the country’s newest international arena.

NZC Head Of Cricket Lindsay Crocker said he was delighted to announce the return of international cricket to Canterbury, and to confirm Hagley Oval as the country’s eighth Test venue.

“Bringing international cricket back to Christchurch was always a priority for NZC,” said Crocker. “And we feel the Boxing Day Test was a good way to celebrate what will be a very special landmark.”

Whilst it is unfortunate for Wellington, which has hosted previous Boxing Day tests, we reckon this is a terrific decision by NZC. Christchurch has not hosted a test match since December 2006, and there has been no international cricket at all in the city since the February 2011 earthquake damaged AMI Stadium beyond repair.

We're a little bit biased, of course. We will be in Christchurch for the Christmas holidays, and Hagley Park is just a short stroll for the abode of SWMBO's parents. We can't think of a better day to recover from the indulgences of Christmas than walking down to Hagley Oval and spending a day watching test cricket's return to the Garden City.

We're sure the good folk of Christchurch will turn out at Hagley Park in large numbers, especially on Boxing Day itself. We commend NZC on this decision, and are now looking forward to an action-packed summer of cricket culminating in the ICC World Cup in February/March.

0 Cairns: If I'm Player X, McCullum's lying

The murky world of cricket match-fixing got murkier overnight. Chris Cairns has put out what Stuff describes as an "explosive" statement suggesting that if he is the mysterious Player X, NZ captain Brendon McCullum has been lying; check this out:

Chris Cairns has emerged swinging, saying if he is 'Player X' then match-fixing claims attributed to New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum are "a complete lie".
Cairns released an explosive statement to Fairfax Media tonight in response to an interview given by McCullum to the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU), which was leaked to the Daily Mail. McCullum told investigators that a star international player had twice approached him in 2008 to request he fix matches, and said he could earn over $200,000 per match. McCullum said he rejected the offer.
Cairns maintained his innocence and insisted "dark forces" were at play.
"I am aware that former cricketer Lou Vincent and current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum have made a range of allegations against a cricketer dubbed Player X," Cairns' statement said.
"It is well known that the ICC/ACSU has been investigating allegations of corruption and my name has been linked by others to these allegations. I am being asked whether I am Player X.
"Based on the limited information I have received during this investigation, I believe it is being alleged that I am that player. These allegations against me are a complete lie." 

We don't know who to believe any more. Cairns obviously thought McCullum's accusations in his ACSU interview were so specific they could only have referred to him. New Zealand Cricket is aware of the identity of Player X, but will not name him, for obvious reasons. 

The story is not going to go away. If, and we stress the word "if" any current or former New Zealand player is found to have participated in match-fixing or spot-fixing, they must, Lou Vincent included, be banished from cricket permanently.

As we have mentioned in the past, cricket is our first and most enduring sporting love. Our first memory of live first class cricket is watching a young Glenn Turner grind out three runs in a two-hour session against Central Districts at Cook's Gardens in Wanganui 50 years ago. These days, Turner would be accused of spot-fixing!

We played our first competitive cricket match in 1966. In the years since we have been a player, administrator, umpire and spectator. We continue to love test cricket in particular. but the abbreviated format of cricket, especially T20, is losing its allure. That is especially sad with the creme of the world's cricket talent set to grace New Zealand early next year for the ICC World Cup.

Do we have confidence in the ICC to get to the bottom of all this, and stamp out match-fixing and spot-fixing? In a word, no. It is time that these allegations were investigated by an organisation completely distanced from cricket. This is organised crime on a massive scale, given some of the numbers bandied around.

This is fast heading towards cricket's darkest hour. As lifelong cricket tragics, we despise what is going on in the sport. The game we love will never be quite the same again.

0 Who is Player X?

The cricket match-fixing allegations get murkier by the day; the Herald reports:

New Zealand Cricket have released a statement this afternoon to express their dismay that Brendon McCullum's testimony to the International Cricket Council has been leaked to the media.
"We can confirm that Brendon is not under investigation by the ICC and his testimony has actually been applauded by them," the statement read.
"NZC has 100 per cent confidence in our captain and his role in tackling corruption."
Details of the match-fixing offer made to, and rebuffed by, the New Zealand captain have been leaked to media.
The approach, first reported by the Herald on Friday, is part of the ICC's investigation into match-fixing.

Whilst it is clear that Brendon McCullum reported the approach from Player X to cricket authorities, it is less certain when this happened. New Zealand cricket fans need to be reassured that there was no undue delay.

And here's how the fix worked:

McCullum was interviewed recently by the ICC's anti-corruption unit and, according to cricket corruption expert Ed Hawkins in the Daily Mail, has testified that he was offered more than $200,000 to fix games.

He met a "former international star" in a café in Worcester while on tour with New Zealand in 2008, when the offer was tabled. According to testimony, the former star said that "the big boys" in international cricket were doing it.
McCullum has also revealed that he was first approached in Kolkata during the 2008 IPL and asked the cricketer how the mechanics of it worked.
"Using the piece of paper X explained the basic principles which were to score below a certain rate for the first six or so overs and then towards the end of the game there was another split. X told me he had done this himself," said McCullum, according to testimony.
"[He] told me that potentially he could get for me from between US$70,000-US$180,000.
"X told me he had a good group working for him in the ICL and I understand this to mean fixing for him. It was my opinion then, as it is now, that X was actively concerned in fixing... I believed he was asking me to do the same thing for him in the IPL as others were doing in the ICL."
McCullum was told he could launder the money through property deals in Dubai. The name of a contact was provided.
Once McCullum had rebuffed that approach, the same cricketer then cornered him in Worcester to ask him if he had changed his mind.
"He was a hero who became a friend so I always found it difficult to say no," McCullum told investigators.

Player X has yet to be identified. But until he is, a good number of players and former players are unfairly under suspicion.

Player X was obviously a high profile player if he was a hero of McCullum's, and the fact that he became a friend suggests their careers intersected. We have our own suspicions, but if they prove to be groundless, then it simply underlines our point.

Not every international player has been involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing. Unfortunately the actions of a few have cast a huge shadow over everyone, and worse still, over the wonderful sport of cricket.

The sooner the identity of Player X is revealed, the better for all concerned, and for the sport.

0 The match-fixing scandal

Match-fixing and spot-fixing are a blight on sport, and especially on cricket. And former New Zealand player Lou Vincent has blown the whistle on what sounds like a reasonably significant dose of corruption in cricket; the Herald reports:

Investigations into cricket match-fixing allegations have taken a twist, with the revelation New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum rebuffed an approach to manipulate a game.
No details on dates or games have been confirmed, but multiple sources have corroborated the approach.
The Herald understands International Cricket Council anti-corruption officers interviewed and he confirmed being approached.
During a hastily arranged press conference at NZ Cricket headquarters in Auckland yesterday, an attempt was made to pin chief executive David White down on a possible McCullum connection.
"Sorry, I cannot say any more as it could jeopardise further investigations," White said.
The press conference was called to respond to a story in London's Daily Telegraph that suggested former Black Cap Lou Vincent was seeking a plea bargain for full disclosure of his involvement in spot- and match-fixing.

McCullum is playing in the Indian Premier League for the Chennai Super Kings. It is understood he immediately and emphatically rejected the approach. Approached by the Herald last night, he had no comment.
White did confirm that matches involving the Auckland Aces in South Africa at the 2012 Champions League - an international Twenty20 competition - were under anti-corruption investigation, a story broken in the Herald in December.
"No games played in New Zealand are being investigated by the ICC," White said. "No current Black Caps are being investigated. No matches involving New Zealand national
"However, we have been informed by the ICC that some Auckland Aces matches in the Champions League in South Africa in 2012 are being investigated.

Regular readers will be aware that of all the sports we follow, cricket is our first love. The manner in which the whole sport has been brought into disrepute by dodgy, shady characters seeking to make a profit is heart-breaking.

Lou Vincent deserves some credit for coming forward and being completely open about his involvement, and that of players around him. The bookies target vulnerable players, and Vincent, with his history of depression certainly fits that profile. That does not in any way excuse his participation in anything illegal, if that is what he has admitted. But by breaking ranks and fronting up, he may help to identify some of those who are pulling the strings of players around the globe.

Cricket used to be the gentleman's game. These days, there is a dark cloud over the sport due to the illegal activities of those prepared to hang the game out to dry for the sake of a quick buck. On one hand we condemn Lou Vincent for succumbing to temptation, but on the other we commend him for being honest about his involvement, and for trying to put things right.