Sydney: Match-fixing may be a thing of the past but ``micro-betting'' is on the rise and it might lead to under-performance by some cricketers, fears ICC.

The West Australian quotes ICC anti-corruption commissioner Paul Condon in the yet-to-be released annual report that match-fixing has been taken care of but illegal betting has substantially gone up over the last one year which makes the players susceptible to under-performance.

``There has been a phenomenal increase in the level of betting on cricket in both the legal and illegal markets over the last 12 months,'' Condon was quoted as saying by the daily.

``The incidents covered by micro-betting, including session betting, will often have little impact on the outcome of a match.

``Against this backdrop, the risk of a player accepting substantial sums to under-perform during a particular phase of a match cannot be ignored,'' he added.

Meanwhile, reacting to the menace of betting, Cricket Australia (CA) has decided to subject its 25 contracted players to a new education programme, warning of the risks of corruption.

A decade ago, an embarrassed CA had to fine star players Mark Waugh and Shane Warne for dealing with a bookmaker,

A CA spokesman said the cricketers would attend a two-day education programme at their pre-season camp outside Brisbane this month. ``It will be one of the headings covered as part of the education process at the camp,'' he was quoted as saying.

Condon said the ICC education programme would apply to all international players and officials.

``This education programme has been tailored to re-emphasise the threat of corruption and highlight the means by which potential corruptors will seek to influence players and match officials,'' he said. — UNI

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