Former player says Warne, Mark Waugh took bookie's money
Posted: Tuesday December 08, 1998 02:00 PM
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Waugh denied any involvement of the bribery in his money transaction back in 1994 Clive Mason/Allsport |
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - Australian test cricketers Mark Waugh and Shane Warne were paid by an Indian bookmaker for weather and pitch reports during the 1994 tour of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, former Australian international David Hookes said Tuesday.
The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) fined the high-profile pair a substantial amount -- Australian Associated Press says it was a five-figure amount -- but says the board did not make it public until the story leaked to the media.
David Hookes, a former player and now commentator, said on a Melbourne radio station on Tuesday night that Waugh and Warne -- two of Australia's highest-paid cricketers -- were paid by the bookie during the sub-continent tour.
"In 1994, Mark Waugh accepted money from an Indian bookmaker to give a report on the ground and weather conditions for some of the upcoming matches in that series," Hookes said on radio 3AW.
"I must say that any suggestion that bribery was involved has been outright denied by a spokesman for Mark Waugh and the Players Association themselves. And I also believe that Mark Waugh was punished and fined by the ACB at the time with the results passed onto the ICC [International Cricket Council].
"And I'm also led to believe that Shane Warne was also involved ... He also accepted money from the bookmaker giving ground reports and weather conditions."
Hookes said Waugh went to the ACB in 1994 after receiving some money because he was concerned about the legitimacy of it.
"It should be stressed that Mark Waugh I believe went to the ACB in 1994 after receiving some money and said he wasn't sure whether he was doing the right thing or the wrong thing and he wanted the hierarchy to know what happened and to throw it back into their court," he said.
Both Waugh and Warne will appear at a news conference in Adelaide on Wednesday where the Australian team is preparing for the start of Friday's third Ashes test against England.
ACB chief executive Mal Speed told ABC Radio that the two players were fined after the tour of Pakistan before they went to the West Indies in 1995, but gave no other information.
The revelations are sure to be of interest throughout the cricket world, particularly in Pakistan where an official inquiry has been held into charges of bribery against players.
Australia's 1994 tour of Pakistan has become notorious for charges of match-fixing and bribery leveled against then Pakistani captain Salim Malik.
Waugh, Warne and former player Tim May had accused Malik of attempting to bribe them. Malik has proclaimed his innocence.
Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum is due to submit his report on the match-fixing scandal to Pakistan president Mohammad Rafiq Tarar in the next two weeks.
Waugh, Warne and May were unavailable for comment on Tuesday night.
Leg spinner Warne, 29, made his test debut against India in 1991-92 in Sydney, and has toured the sub-continent four times.
Warne has taken 308 test wickets at 24.10 to rank among the all-time great bowlers, but shoulder surgery in April after this year's tour in India has so far stopped him returning to the test side.
In his autobiography Warne wrote: "The whole betting scene in India and Pakistan is illegal so the people running the betting are basically gangsters. Not the sort of people to trust or play around with."
Waugh, the twin of vice captain Steve Waugh, made his debut in 1990-91 against England in Adelaide.
The 33-year-old has been a mainstay of Australia's middle order in 80 test matches, making more than 5,000 runs, averaging around 43.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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