Waugh welcomes ICC's anti-corruption report

Australian test captain Steve Waugh said on Tuesday he would welcome the release of the International Cricket Council's report on match-fixing, whatever its contents.

The first report by the ICC's anti-corruption unit, who have spent six months investigating how match-fixing took hold in the sport, is due to be released on Wednesday.

"We want to know what's going on and people want the game cleaned up," Waugh said. "So the sooner it comes out the better.

"It doesn't matter what time it comes out, whether it's the day before a test match or the day before we leave for England," Waugh told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio.

Australia's one-day squad will fly to England on Saturday. Other test players are due to leave in mid-June for a three-month Ashes tour which ends in late August.

The five-test series starts on July 5 after a limited overs competition involving Australia, Pakistan and England.

Australia play hosts to New Zealand and South Africa for a total of six tests between November and January.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Tuesday that the first test against New Zealand would start in Brisbane on November 8 followed by tests in Hobart (November 22-26) and Perth (November 30-December 4).

Australia's series against South Africa starts in Adelaide from December 14-18 followed by tests in Melbourne (December 26-30) and Sydney (January 2-6).

The ACB said it had agreed a new five-year sponsorship deal with Ansett Australia, the country's second-largest airline, starting from the 2001-02 season.

"The sponsorship allows Ansett Australia naming rights to each test match played in Australia during the time of the agreement, as well as branding on test match playing shirts and training apparel and other supplementary benefits including signage at venues," the board said in a statement.

Mail Cricket Editor