SYDNEY : Cricket Australia on Wednesday formed an Anti-Corruption and
Security Unit to help maintain the integrity of the country's domestic
competitions.The unit will oversee the Sheffield Shield, Ryobi
Cup and the newly-formed Big Bash League with the International Cricket
Council continuing to monitor international competitions.Members
of the unit will have an at-venue presence during domestic matches
while handling anti-corruption education programmes for players."Betting-related
corruption is a significant issue to sport in general and Cricket
Australia is determined to institute measures that safeguard the
integrity of our sport," said CA chief executive James Sutherland."There
has been no evidence of problems in domestic cricket but we want to
move proactively on the basis that vigilance and constant education is
critical. "The unit will give our domestic cricket bodies a
specialised resource to call on to protect our sport from instances of
corruption, and underscores our dedication to stamping out illegal
activity."Establishment of the unit comes just weeks after a
British judge jailed disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman
Butt, two of his bowlers and their agent for their part in a fixing
scandal that rocked the game.Sports Minister Mark Arbib said
Cricket Australia's initiative complemented the work the government was
doing in the fight against match-fixing."We are working to
empower Australia's sports to ensure their athletes are protected, and
that everyone involved with sport understands the importance of
combating match-fixing," he said
