Match-fixing 'treasure trove' no surprise to New Zealand

Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent has opened up to investigators about widespread match-fixing in several countries, the country's cricket boss confirmed Thursday. David White's comments came after the London Telegraph reported Vincent had provided the International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption unit "with a treasure trove of information about matches that were targeted for spot-fixing and the names of players" involved. The former international "has agreed a plea bargain in the hope of avoiding a criminal prosecution for his involvement in and knowledge of spot-fixing in five or more countries" between 2008-2012, the report said. White, New Zealand Cricket's chief executive, said the revelations contained in the newspaper were well known to officials. "We have been informed of a lot of the information over some period of time (by the ICC) so it doesn't come as a surprise to us," he said. Although no current New Zealand players nor any games involving the Black Caps were being investigated "we have been informed by the ICC that some Auckland Aces matches in the Champions League in South Africa in 2012 are being investigated," White said. Vincent, who played for the Aces in New Zealand's domestic competition, was revealed last December to have been under investigation along with fellow New Zealanders Chris Cairns and Daryl Tuffey over allegations of match-fixing. He later confirmed he had been approached by bookmakers. The Telegraph report said Vincent had provided evidence about match or spot fixing during competitions in England, India, New Zealand, Hong Kong and South Africa. However, White said no games played in New Zealand were part of the investigation. Source: AFP