Cricketers do not trust ICC: Players' Chief Tim May

Friday, 12 November 2010 00:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cricketers shy away from reporting corruption because they do not trust the authorities, says international players union chief Tim May.

Pakistan's Zulqarnain Haider has been criticised by his board for fleeing to England after receiving death threats when he refused to fix two matches.

Zulqarnain Haid

But May said he admires Haider's "courage" and added: "Some players have concerns about reporting [corruption]. "They fear the confidential nature of them reporting it will be breached."

Wicketkeeper Haider claims he was approached in Dubai by a person who asked him to fix the fourth and fifth games against South Africa, who went on to win Monday's deciding game to earn a 3-2 victory in the series.

He is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom and is retiring from international cricket.

At a press conference in London on Wednesday, Haider said he did not take his concerns to the Pakistan Cricket Board because it would create "problems" for his "team-mates".

Former Australia cricketer May says players do not have faith in their boards or the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption unit, which has spoken to Haider since he arrived in the UK.

"This problem is not an issue that's just confined to Haider," he told BBC World Service. "In the past, players have gone to the anti-corruption unit and somewhere details of their talks with the anti-corruption has reached the media.

"Whether those leaks have come from the ICC or whatever, it still gives the players the question over whether they can trust the ICC's anti-corruption unit.

"We've said to the ICC we need to get the reporting processes here streamlined far better than what they are at the moment."

Haider describes match-fixing death threats. May believes players' unions should be the first port of call for cricketers wanting to report corruption.

"We have put forward a couple of options to the ICC in a meeting we had with anti-corruption unit in October for a change in the reporting system," he added.

"We haven't heard from the ICC since that meeting. But we hope they will look at those options in a positive manner.

"These involve the players reporting to a trustworthy body in the players' eyes. Somewhere they believe they can protect their anonymity and in most cases in most countries we believe that the player association has a vital role to play here."

Haider's actions have cast a negative spotlight over Pakistan cricket once again following the spot-fixing scandal earlier this year.

Three players - batsman Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - were suspended and placed under investigation for alleged spot-fixing during the tour of England earlier this year.