Siddath Wettimuny: ICC Meeting on Match Fixing

Sidath Wettimuny, who represented the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) at the executive board meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC), said that Sri Lanka would be putting its cricket future at stake if they are not careful who they chose to administer the game after the June 11 Cricket Board elections. Wettimuny's caution comes from the stand adopted by all ICC-member countries who met at Lord's last week to deal with the latest scandal to hit the game: betting and gambling.

The ICC took a firm stand that it would suspend any of its member countries if they are found to have any persons with connections in gambling and betting holding office at Cricket Boards.

"If any person with such connections are elected to office, the ICC will write to that particular Cricket Board and protest formally. They will then send an investigator to get into the system and see whether the elected person is a bookie/gambler etc. before taking the decision to suspend the country," said Wettimuny, a member of the ICC executive board.

He said the ICC are formally drafting the document which will be incorporated into their memorandum of articles and it should be complete within the next 2-3 weeks.

"If any of these resolutions are not adhered to by the respective Cricket Boards they will face suspension from playing international cricket. Anybody having close association with gambling and betting will not be allowed to attend any ICC meetings," said Wettimuny.

"The ICC is going to be very strict. They won't muck around because they feel if they do, then it will become a mockery. The ICC wants to eradicate corruption in the game and they are not leaving any stone unturned towards fulfilling that task," he said.

How serious member country's are taking the latest stand of the ICC can be guaged by the fact that West Indies Cricket Board president Pat Rousseau told Wettimuny that he had an official who was a bookmaker in his Cricket Board and that he would ask him to resign forthwith when he returned to the Caribbean.

Wettimuny said that he didn't have to say one word on the subject at the ICC meeting. "It was already on the agenda," he said.