No selection for accused umpires

Six umpires accused of corruption will not be selected to officiate by the International Cricket Council until allegations made by an Indian television news channel have been investigated.

India TV named six officials it claimed were willing to fix matches for money in the build-up to the World Twenty20, leading the ICC to confirm they were urgently looking into the matter and prompting three of the accused to deny the allegations.

But yesterday the ICC confirmed none of the implicated officials would be considered for upcoming matches while an investigation was under way.

An ICC statement read: “The International Cricket Council (ICC) and its relevant full member boards have agreed not to appoint any of the umpires named in a sting operation conducted by India TV to any domestic or international cricket matches pending the outcome of the ongoing investigations into the allegations made.

“The officials named are not contracted by the ICC and those boards who employ and nominate the umpires directly will conduct the investigations as a matter of urgency.”

One of the accused, Bangladeshi umpire Nadir Shah, had earlier rejected the allegations, telling the BBC: “These people are setting up these things. Telling whatever they feel like. Once we knew that these people are crooked we backed out. I didn’t know it was a sting operation. Once I found out that these people are trying to fix matches I just backed out and left.”

None of the umpires named by the TV station officiated in the World Twenty20.