Well-Know Cricket Scams

Executive Summary

Cricket has endured numerous fixing and betting scandals worldwide since the 1990s. Major incidents occurred across formats (Tests, ODIs, T20s) and continents – for example, South Africa’s captain Hansie Cronje admitted to taking at least $10–15k in bribes and was offered ~£140k for one fix; Pakistani captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed and banned in 2010 for Lord’s Test spot-fixing; and several Indian Premier League (IPL) players (S. Sreesanth, A. Chandila, A. Chavan) and a team official (G. Meiyappan) were charged in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Major cricket boards (BCCI, PCB, BCB, CWI) and the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit have investigated and sanctioned players/agents, but many schemes involve organized crime (e.g. India’s Dawood‐linked networks) and remain opaque. This report presents a detailed chronology and analysis of global match-fixing scandals (post-1990), identifies key actors (players, bookies, officials, teams), outlines unresolved cases, and summarizes known financial flows. Tables compare scandals (date, location, method, outcome, money involved). For clarity, a timeline diagram (Mermaid) and a schematic of a typical fixing network are included.

Figure: Cricket stadiums like this (Edgbaston at dusk) host marquee matches, which attract fixers. High-profile games (World Cups, Tests, IPL, PSL, etc.) have repeatedly been targets for corruption (Confidence: High). Matches across continents have been tainted, illustrating the global reach of the problem.

Timeline of Major Scandals

Key incidents are plotted below. They involve international and domestic matches on every cricket-playing continent. (Dates shown are first reporting or sanction dates.)

timeline
    title Cricket Fixing Scandals (1999–2026)
    1999-12: CBI names Azharuddin, Jadeja etc in Indian fixing probe
    2000-04: Hansie Cronje admits accepting $10–15k bribes
    2000-10: Cronje (SA) life-banned; three other Proteas receive suspensions
    2005-08: Kenya ODI fix exposed; Maurice Odumbe banned (5y)
    2010-08: Pakistan v England Test at Lord's – Salman Butt, Asif, Amir jailed/banned
    2013-05: IPL 2013 – Rajasthan Royals players spot-fixing; CSK official charged
    2013-06: BPL 2013 – Bangladesh’s Ashraful admits fixing; 8y ban
    2016-02: PSL 2016 – Sharjeel Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif (and others) spot-fixing
    2018-10: Al Jazeera “Munawar Files” alleges fixes in 15 intl matches; ICC investigates
    2021-03: ICC bans UAE/Hong Kong players for fixing 2019 T20 WC Qualifiers
    2026-03: ICC charges West Indies player Javon Searles (ACC) and two officials in B10 corruption case

Each row above is documented in sources. For example, the 2000 Cronje scandal is confirmed by ICC King Commission reports and news accounts, and the 2010 Lord’s scandal by court records and media. (Confidence levels are indicated above: e.g. High for well-documented cases, Low for unproven allegations like the Al Jazeera sting.)

Key Individuals & Organizations

A wide array of players, fixers, and officials have been implicated. Notable examples:

• Players: Hansie Cronje (SA captain, banned 2000) admitted to taking bribes. Mohammad Azharuddin (India), Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar, Nayan Mongia, Ajay Sharma and others were suspended around 2000. Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were convicted in 2011 (Lord’s spot-fix). Indian players S. Sreesanth, A. Chandila, A. Chavan (RR) and Shivam Sharma (Delhi) were arrested in the 2013 IPL case. Mohammad Ashraful (Bangladesh) admitted losing a 2013 BPL match for money. Sharjeel Khan, Nasir Jamshed, Khalid Latif (Pakistan) were banned (2016–17) for PSL spot-fixing. West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels was banned (2013, 6y in 2023) for passing info. Several Afghan, UAE and associate-nation players (e.g. Sharjeel Khan, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed of UAE in 2021) were banned for fixing the 2019 T20 World Cup Qualifiers.
• Agents/Bookies: Mazhar Majeed (Pakistani agent) was described as “equal…as one of two architects of the fixing” in the 2010 scandal (Confidence: High). Indian bookmaker Sanjay Chawla and dealer MK Gupta arranged Cronje’s fixes. Sunil Bhatia (Indian bookie) claimed to have fixed matches in the IPL, BPL and ICL. Aneel Munawar (alleged fixer tied to the Mumbai underworld) featured in the 2018 Munawar Files investigation. In Sri Lanka, ex-U19 coach Tharanga Dhammika and team owner Prem Thakkar were investigated for fixing (2024).
• Officials/Teams/Boards: Gurunath Meiyappan (CSK official, Lalit Modi’s relative) was charged in IPL 2013. Several umpires, team managers and coaches (e.g. India’s Nadir Shah in BPL 2012) have been banned. Cricket boards (BCCI, PCB, Bangladesh Cricket Board, Cricket West Indies, etc.) set up anti-corruption cells. The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU) leads global probes and prosecutions; it has charged several individuals (e.g. West Indies players) and works with national police. Some national investigations (India’s CBI, England’s NCA, Pakistan’s FIA) have also prosecuted suspects.

These cases often involve organised crime. For instance, Delhi Police found IPL 2013 fixers “acting under the command” of underworld figures Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel. (Confidence: High.) Cronje’s 2000 transcripts even referenced international hawala syndicates and Bollywood intermediaries. Overall, match-fixing networks typically link criminal bookmakers, local fixers (agents), and players; a schematic flowchart of such a network is shown below.

Figure: Players (foreground) are often mere pawns in a larger network. A typical flowchart (below) shows how criminal syndicates and local agents bribe players and manipulate match events to profit via betting. For example, Pakistan’s Majeed was paid (and paid players) to bowl no-balls.

flowchart LR
    Bookie[Bookmaker / Organized Crime]
    Agent[Local Fixer / Agent]
    Player[Player / Team Official]
    Team[Team / Cricket Board]
    Match[Match / Session Outcome]
    Betting[Betting Market]
    Bookie -->|hires/pays| Agent
    Agent -->|bribes/influences| Player
    Player -->|manipulates| Match
    Match -->|affects odds| Betting
    Bookie -->|bets on fix| Betting
    Player -->|shares insider info| Betting
    Team -.->|negligence/collusion| Player
    Team -->|hosts| Match

Unresolved Cases & Current Status

Some investigations remain open or unproven. The Al Jazeera “Munawar Files” (2018) alleges spot-fixing in ~15 international matches across England, Australia, Pakistan, etc. involving unnamed players. The ICC has said it is “fully investigating” these claims, but to date no charges have been laid and implicated players deny wrongdoing (Confidence: Low). Similarly, a 2017 undercover sting in England (Channel 4/BBC) hinted at fix attempts in T20s involving India and England, but the ICC only interviewed players without public outcome.

Cricket’s current anti-corruption efforts are ongoing: e.g. March 2026 saw ICC charges against West Indies’ Javon Searles (ACC) and two officials for corruption during a B10 league; their trial is pending. Dozens of bans have been issued (see table below), but some high-profile leads remain unpursued. For example, Cronje was scheduled to face legal action but died in 2002, leaving many details unresolved. Likewise, former Pakistan captain Danish Kaneria’s 2010 spot-fixing involvement only came to light when he admitted it in 2018. In sum, while many cases have been exposed, the clandestine nature of corruption means some schemes likely went undetected or will never be fully proven.

Financial Flows & Profiteers

Quantified figures are scarce (illegal betting networks keep records private), but reported payments illustrate the scale. Documented examples: Ashraful was allegedly paid ~1 million Bangladesh taka (US$12.8k) to lose a 2013 BPL match. Sharjeel Khan reportedly received 2 million PKR (~$20k) for bowling two dot balls in the 2016 PSL opener. Hansie Cronje’s tapes discussed sums like $50k for team information and £320,000 total for influencing one ODI. These are typically bribe amounts to players; the ultimate betting pools ran much larger. (For context, fixers set odds and place large bets – e.g. one media report noted bookmakers paid £140 for “everybody” in a fix, meaning a £320k pot.) Investigators suggest that bookmakers and syndicates profit far more than individual players. However, as data comes from prosecutions and leaks, we estimate confidence as medium: few primary records are public.

Comparison Table of Scandals

All outcomes above come from ICC or board rulings. “Est. Money” figures are from investigative reports or court testimony. Confidence in dates and participants is High, as these are well-documented. Figures for payouts to players are likely underestimates of the actual betting volumes (Confidence: Medium).

Analysis and Assumptions

• Organizers: In many cases the instigators (bookmakers, agents) are harder to pin down. However, legal documents and journalism identify a few: e.g. Mazhar Majeed for 2010, MK Gupta/S. Chawla for Cronje, and unnamed D-Company operatives for IPL 2013. Often large criminal syndicates fund the fixes, and money is laundered through hawala networks.
• Unresolved Elements: Some alleged fixes have no legal follow-up. Examples include (a) the 2018 “English” spots in Chennai (ICC interviewed players but no further action); (b) repeated rumors of corruption in various tournaments without official proof; (c) financial trails—exact bookmaker profits—remain opaque. We note missing data (e.g., board internal reports) where possible and mark confidence accordingly.
• Scope: We focus on post-1990 “modern” cricket (ODIs/T20s), but have noted older events (e.g. 2000 and 2005). Domestic leagues (IPL, PSL, BPL, etc.) are included if high-profile. We rely on ICC press releases, board announcements, court records, and credible journalism (BBC, Guardian, ESPN, Al Jazeera). If claims conflicted, we favor primary or multiple independent sources.
• Mermaid Charts: The timeline and flowchart are illustrative. Timeline entries align with cited dates. The network flowchart abstracts common patterns (bookmakers → fixers → players → match outcomes → bets). Nodes “Team/Board” and “Betting Market” highlight potential collusion or oversight failures.

Sources: Official ICC media releases and national board statements (where available), major news outlets (BBC, The Guardian, Al Jazeera), and investigative reports. Confidence levels are noted in-text for key claims.