Sydney, Nov. 25 : Former South African great Barry Richards has said that ‘illegal betting’ is stilla real problem in the cricketing circuit.
Richards has tackled a range of hot issues as a Marylebone Cricket Club world cricket committee member, and says shady bookmakers and their attempt to seduce and compromise players remains a blight on the game.
“I couldn''t say I don''t think it is happening. It is a real problem. A lot of people wouldn''t understand it, it is subtle,” News. com. au quoted Richards, as saying, referring to the practice where punters, predominantly across the subcontinent, bet on the minutiae of play, including no balls and next batsman in.
According to the report, four-Test batsman Richards also warned that Australia''s domestic scene is not immune to the disease of bad betting syndicates.
"The bookies are smart and going to the next level down, even Ryobi Cup. They will go anywhere where the matches are televised and sometimes very big money is involved,” he said.
Richards believes it''s crucial to implement a Test championship where the two top ranked teams square off to add meaning to the traditional format, the report said.
"I think there should be a Test championship which will happen in 2017 which I think is too long a wait," he said. (ANI)
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