ICC's views on Condon report today

By Ted Corbett

LEEDS, JUNE 17. Allegations that Alec Stewart, the England one- day captain, was dragging his feet about fixing an interview with Lord Condon, head of the Anti Corruption Unit, died today as it became clear that the two sides would meet after the end of the triangular tournament next week-end.

The still unresolved accusations against Stewart are that during the 1992-3 tour of India he accepted 5,000 pounds sterling from the bookmaker Mukesh Gupta for information about pitches and weather forecasts. He says he did not know Gupta and Gupta's statement lacks support which is why the England and Wales Cricket Board have allowed him to play on for England and appointed him captain of the limited overs team.

A statement from Stewart's lawyers brought the latest episode in the match-fixing saga to an abrupt halt but it is still not clear who is at fault. It has all the hallmarks of a squabble between little children and one wonders why it was necessary for Lord Condon to bring it out into the open. He claimed in today's papers that Stewart had evaded attempts to set up a meeting and for a couple of hours the radio bulletins followed the Sunday newspaper headlines with interviews and chat and so much deep insight that one might have thought the end of the world was nigh.

By mid-day Stewart's solicitors had said ``that from the start Alec Stewart has made it totally clear that he will fully co- operate with any inquiry'' and that ``Alec answered all the questions put to him by Lord MacLaurin, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board.''

They went on to say that he spoke to Lord Condon in January and that they agreed to meet later. The solicitors went on to claim that it took Lord Condon five months - after a reminder in May - to produce the evidence which Stewart had asked to see as all he knew was what had been reported in the press.

``Last week Lord Condon responded by sending what appears to be a copy of a document detailing comments allegedly made by Mukesh Gupta about a range of individuals. It adds nothing to the allegations made against Alec which have already been published. As we understand the position this remains the only so-called evidence that exists after months of enquiries,'' his lawyers' statement says.

A precise date for the meeting will be made tomorrow. Stewart has a week free after the one-day tournament before the first Test against Australia which begins at Edgbaston on July 5.

Tomorrow the International Cricket Council gives its views on the Condon report but in essence there has been little progress on match-fixing since Hansie Cronje, the South African captain, resigned so dramatically 14 months ago; despite the King inquiry in South Africa, the Condon inquiry and the research by the CBI in India.

Condon says that the practice continues so his investigations have failed to deter anyone. His preliminary report published a month ago contained a great deal of carefully prepared evidence but no names and was hailed in England as yet further proof that the crime was contained within the sub- continent.

Let's hope that ICC suggests a way forward tomorrow and that their meeting in London which began today comes up with a wholehearted determination to chase down those involved in match- fixing. If they don't we will only be able to conclude that the ICC habit of inaction is still in place as firmly as the bookmakers' belief that cricket can be bought and sold.

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