FORMER Australia captain Steve Waugh has revealed 56 cricketers reported illegal approaches by bookmakers to the International Cricket Council (ICC) last year, after only five players came forward in 2009.
Waugh played his last Test for Australia in 2004 and now plays a pivotal role in attempting to eliminate illegal betting issues from cricket.
The ICC have an anti-corruption and security unit which is the body to which players can report suspicious approaches, and Waugh is keen to speak to them about the way forward.
Waugh, 46 is currently a member of the MCC’s world cricket committee and told BBC Test Match Special: “I don’t know if the ICC is doing enough. I’d like to have some conversations with them. They are doing some good work because last year 56 players reported an approach by a bookmaker and the year before it was only five.”
He added: “That suggests the players have confidence in the system and confidence that it will work.
“By taking the lie-detector test I wanted to get the message out there that I was prepared to do this and I saw that (England captain) Andrew Strauss said he was prepared to do one if required too. It’s totally voluntary and it’s not about going over the past, it’s about moving forward.”
The former Kent and Somerset batman also called for lifetime bans for captains caught offending and wants the sport’s biggest names to back him up.
“Any captain found guilty should have a lifetime ban because they set the tone and values of the side,” Waugh said. “If they are doing something wrong it’s a lot easier for the younger kids to get involved in it.
“How can the public get some confidence back? People have been caught only by accident over the years, which only goes to show it’s very hard to prove and catch people.
“So let’s go the other way, let’s be positive about it, have people who are ambassadors for the game and are willing to sign these statements and, if required, back it up with a polygraph.” (PASport)