Australia inform ICC of illegal betting approach

LONDON: Australia have filed a report with the International Cricket Council (ICC) after a player was approached by a man suspected of links to illegal bookmaking, a cricket website reported Tuesday.

The approach was reportedly made in the bar of the team''s London hotel, the Royal Kensington Gardens, following Australia''s Ashes loss at Lord''s in July.

The player alerted senior officials immediately and, following ICC protocol, team manager Steve Bernard filed a report with the ACSU. The matter is currently under investigation.

It quoted ICC and Australian sources saying the approach was "concerning".

The player is not suspected of wrongdoing and his prompt reporting of the approach is in line with the ACSU''s player education programme.

It also added the ACSU were also investigating additional approaches made to players by illegal bookmakers during this season''s World Twenty20 tournament in England.

The ACSU, whose chairman Paul Condon is a former Commissioner of London''s Metropolitan Police, was formed in 2000 in response to the match fixing scandals involving then international captains Hansie Cronje, Salim Malik and Mohammad Azharrudin.