England captains Eoin Morgan and Alastair Cook voiced their respective anger and heart-felt concern as the spectre of spot-fixing continues to afflict their sport.
Cook, Test captain, and Morgan, stand-in Twenty20 leader, both made it clear how deeply they feel about the scourge every time it rears its head.
Spot-fixing has done just that again after reports emerged that New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has provided the International Cricket Council with testimony of a historic attempt by an unnamed, high-profile player to lure him in with a £100,000-plus offer. Last week it was revealed that McCullum's former team-mate Lou Vincent has been part of an ongoing ICC investigation.
On the eve of England's Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka at The Oval, Morgan found himself answering almost as many questions about spot-fixing as the visit of the world champions. "It really does make me angry," said the Dubliner. "Everyone knows you have to say no to corruption. It is important for guys to come out and say 'this is unacceptable' - people have to be punished for it. We all love the game. We are trying to protect it, and it is important that we do."
Both Morgan and Cook played in the blighted Lord's Test of 2010, in which three Pakistanis were subsequently banned and convicted for their part in an attempted spot-fixing scam. Cook told the London Evening Standard: "You know the tell-tale signs. But you can always do more, can't you, if it is still going on now? It is a worry. I've been involved already in a high-profile game which has been changed by [corrupt practices], and it cheapens the sport."
Morgan is likely to lead out a team tonight containing at least one Twenty20 debutant, in either Ashes opener Michael Carberry or seamer Harry Gurney, who made his inter-national bow in the recent, rain-affected one-day international against Scotland in Aberdeen.
Warwickshire pair Ian Bell and Chris Woakes may be the men to miss out from the 13-man squad selected for this one-off match.
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