Waugh retracts, agrees to meet investigators

By Greg Buckle

Australian test batsman Mark Waugh has changed his mind again and agreed to take part in a worldwide investigation into corruption in cricket, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said on Thursday.

ACB chairman Malcolm Speed told a news conference Waugh, 35, who had earlier this week announced through his manager Leo Karis that he had "presently declined" to take part in the investigations, had backed down on his stance.

Waugh, a veteran of 108 tests, had said earlier this month he would co-operate with investigators.

The ACB had told Waugh by letter on Wednesday if it did not receive a written undertaking from him by four o'clock on Thursday afternoon, "(the board's) approval of your selection in the Australian cricket team will be automatically withdrawn".

"I'm very pleased to advise that at 6.40 a.m. solicitors acting on behalf of Mark Waugh provided a written undertaking that Mark would attend and participate in interviews by the ICC's (International Cricket Council) Anti-Corruption Unit and the ACB special investigator Greg Melick," Speed said.

"It's proposed these interviews take place in early February."

Waugh, who has made 6,932 test runs, was not immediately available for comment.

His manager Leo Karis told Reuters by telephone from Sydney that Waugh, who is in Adelaide with the Australian limited overs series squad, would co-operate with the investigation because he had finally been given sufficient information from the ACB.

"He has decided he will meet with the investigators," Karis said.

"We don't see this as Mark backing down or having a change of heart. He has finally been given what is his legal right as a citizen."

ALLEGATIONS ABOUT HONG KONG TOURNAMENT

The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit, which is due to visit Australia next month, wants to speak to Waugh, twin brother of Australian test captain Steve Waugh, following allegations Mark Waugh took money from an Indian bookmaker in exchange for information on the team during a six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong in 1992 or 1993.

Waugh was among nine non-Indian players, including former test captains Brian Lara, Alec Stewart and Martin Crowe, named in an Indian Central Bureau of Investigation report into match-fixing last November as having connections with bookmakers.

Waugh and teammate Shane Warne were fined in 1995 after admitting they had accepted money from a bookmaker in 1994 in exchange for information on pitch and weather conditions.

But Waugh has strongly denied these latest allegations and had previously said he wanted to co-operate in the investigation to clear his name.

The ACB said on Wednesday they had written to Waugh to detail exactly what questions the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit wanted to ask of Waugh.

These included the identification of bookmakers he had dealt with, the money he had received and his reponses to references made to him in the Indian report.

Australia play West Indies on Friday in Adelaide in a triangular series limited overs match in which Waugh is expected to play.

He missed training on Wednesday to discuss his position with his advisers.

"I've said right from the outset that I was disappointed Mark had taken this stance because I thought it was terrific opportunity for him to come forward and clear his name," Speed said.

"I hope he can now do that. I can't speculate on what the public opinion would be."

In an indication of the importance of the announcement to the sports-loving Australian population, the news conference was shown live on national television.

Mail Cricket Editor