'Pay cricketers more to keep them honest'

Marylebone Cricket Club chairman Lord Alexander Weedon on Friday said cricketers were not paid enough to resist offers of quick money.

"Cricketers need to be paid more so that they can resist the temptation of the bookmakers, and besides that the International Cricket Council needs to take positive steps to stop match-fixing," Weedon said.

Weedon took over the reins of cricket's oldest club from former England captain Tony Lewis earlier this year. MCC is responsible for framing the laws of the game and the ICC approves them.

"The ICC clearly needs to do something about match-fixing because we all share the passion for cricket and the game can only progress if it is clean," he said.

Once called a gentleman's game, cricket has been rocked this year by allegations of match rigging, forcing the ICC to form an anti-corruption body.

"All cricket boards need to increase the pay scale of their players within the available income," he said.

"It is also up to the respective boards to accept the ICC's recommendations about match-fixing. It's not in the ICC's jurisdiction to take action against any particular player involved in this malpractice," he said.

Pakistan's former captain Salim Malik and pace bowler Ataur Rehman are serving a life ban after a report on match-fixing found them guilty.

Former South African captain Hansie Cronje was also banned for life after he admitted taking money from bookmakers. An Indian probe has alleged five national players, including former captain Mohammad Azharuddin, have fixed games. Weedon said the MCC could not formulate laws on match-fixing.

"The MCC's job is to frame cricket laws and any disciplinary laws are made only by the ICC," he said.

Mail Cricket Editor