N. Zealand Cricket slams 'baseless' fixing claims

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Monday dismissed as "baseless" and "irresponsible" a report that some of its players were involved in match-fixing. NZC chief executive David White said the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit was investigating the allegations made in Britain's Sunday Times newspaper but he had no doubt they were untrue. "We have complete confidence that the claims made are baseless and have no credibility," White said in a statement. "The sources are not credible and the accusations are unsubstantiated making them irresponsible, damaging and untrue. "The integrity and reputation of the game is paramount and NZC have absolute confidence that our players share these ideals." The British newspaper's undercover reporters cited Indian bookmakers boasting they could fix international matches and English county games. Among the claims, one bookmaker identified two New Zealand players, who were not named in the report, with whom he had allegedly worked to fix matches in 2010. Another bookmaker said he had recently been offered a chance to strike a deal with some New Zealanders but declined because the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was looming on April 4, the newspaper reported. New Zealand Cricket Players' Association chief executive Heath Mills said the allegations were a slur on every cricketer in the country. "There's no doubt that those who play on the sub-continent will inadvertently come into contact with people of ill repute," he told the New Zealand Herald. "But I don't believe anyone I work with is, or has ever been, involved... I would be highly surprised and bitterly disappointed if that was the case."