RICHARDSON RIGHT IN WANTING MATCH-FIXING TO BE MADE A CRIMINAL OFFENCE

The warning is timely for India are scheduled to host two global marquee events in the next three years - the 2021 T-20 World Cup followed by the ODI World Cup in 2023 – and Richardson urged the Indian government to consider creating a match-fixing law for sport...

- PARTAB RAMCHAND

As one who has always felt strongly that those involved in match-fixing in this country getaway lightly thanks to lax and outdated laws, I was overjoyed to read the views of Steve Richardson, the coordinator of investigations at the ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) on the subject. Richardson has the strong belief that making match-fixing a criminal offense will be the ``single most effective thing’’ for sport in India.

The warning is timely for India are scheduled to host two global marquee events in the next three years – the 2021 T-20 World Cup followed by the ODI World Cup in 2023 – and Richardson urged the Indian government to consider creating a match-fixing law for sport. Last year Sri Lanka became the first major cricket playing country in South Asia to criminalize match-fixing with punishments including a ten-year prison sentence after investigations that found several Lankan cricketers guilty of breaching the corruption code.