09 September,2010 11:28 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
Sure, the spot fixing controversy seems to have occurred at the wrong time. One of cricket's biggest scandal has hogged most of the limelight in the past few weeks. This despite the excessive publicity that was planned for the $6.5m Champions League T20 competition in South Africa.
It now means the developments in London have quickly rubbed off in Johannesburg.
Champions League organisers have intensified anti-corruption measures by hiring South African firm, Nicholls, Steyn & Associates, besides inviting ICC's ACSU to oversee proceedings during the three-week event. "There will be a full allotment of ICC's anti-corruption unit present at the tournament," IPL vice-chairman, Niranjan Shah told MiD DAY. "ICC's ACSU, with conjunction with Cricket South Africa (CSA) will try their best to ensure CLT20 will be corruption free," he said.
Shah said that the governing council of the CLT20, which he also is a member of, and the ICC, have put together same plans in place which they would have for any other event. For example, next year's World Cup in the sub-continent. "The events that have transpired in England have shocked the entire cricket fraternity. It now means that anti-corruption officers will be more vigilant. In case of players breaking the code, same strictures would apply as they do in the ICC's ACSU code".
Dean Kino, another member of the CLT20 governing council, recently said that four security agents will be present at every game, besides three and four security officers attached with every team. "No single player who takes the field in our tournament will not have been educated about corruption and the code of behaviour," he said. ICC's Head of Media and Communications, Colin Gibson, confirmed that Ravi Sawani, chief investigator of the ACSU was on his way to South Africa.
