Steve Waugh warns of latest threat to cricket: 'Bracket' fixing

Steve Waugh, former Australian skipper, claimed in his new book, The Meaning of Luck , published in the Herald Sun, that cricket can be affected by a new ‘strategy’ to fix matches called ‘bracket fixing’, which will probably work well in T20 matches.

Waugh even calls for lie detector tests during investigations; according to him, ‘bracket’ fixing is a massive threat as compared to spot-fixing, as the expected result can be achieved conveniently.

In ‘bracket’ fixing, a small part of the game is managed to ascertain that a specific number of runs are scored or wickets are taken in the limited-overs game.

“A much bigger threat to cricket lurks around what is commonly known as ‘bracket fixing’, which can be controlled by crooked players and remain undetected or be easily explained away,” Waugh wrote.

Waugh claimed that second tier domestic T20 games were more prone to be affected by this scheme. Waugh further wrote: “If a captain is involved, the whole process can be achieved discreetly and effectively.”

“I learned of an Australian player with exemplary ethics and credibility who was informed he was the captain … quickly, he sensed he was going to be the owner’s puppet. So he turned the captaincy down and was promptly dropped for his team’s first four matches,” wrote Waugh in his book.

Due to the private ownerships in T20 leagues across the world, the dangers of match fixing are more extensive.

To eradicate corruption from the gentlemen’s game, Waugh calls for lie-detector test in the investigation process: “If a player hasn’t done anything wrong, he won’t be afraid. He will have an avenue to clear his name.

“Most of the national cricket boards did not investigate fully into the match fixing probe with the fear that more star players might be implicated (in the scandal).”

Waugh wants the game of cricket to be true, genuine and vigorously contested. The World Cup-winning captain also felt that “easy money will always be a temptation too great to resist for some people”.