Corruption unit flies in to probe Cricket Canada's involvement in betting scam

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A high-powered International Cricket Council anti-corruption team is jetting into Toronto this week. No, they are not here to check out what the country’s largest dynamic metropolis has to offer or a trip to see the awe-inspiring beauty of Niagara Falls.

They may still take in all the sites during their spare time but they are here on a far more serious and challenging visit. They are here to investigate a number of incidents that have perked the ears of the world’s governing body.

The ICC has been forced to jump into action after receiving a recorded tape from a Cricket Canada member about illegal betting, match-and-spot-fixing involving the national team in the last few weeks. Immediately after the member admitted to forwarding the tape to the ICC in England, he was fired for not sharing the tape first with Cricket Canada.

This damning recording that was exclusively shared to Postmedia lasts 58 minutes and 47 seconds is conducted in Punjabi and was deciphered to me by a translator. The ICC takes these allegations very seriously as it doesn’t want its lily-white image of the sport to be tarnished anymore.

Of course, the game received a black eye on April 7, 2000 when Indian police charged the late South Africa skipper Hansie Cronje of match fixing and that sparked a world-wide scandal. In the same year Pakistanis Salim Malik and Ata-u-Rehman were banned for life and six others were fined. The game was later rocked when the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation fingered India’s national captain Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma who both played in Toronto in the Sahara Cup tournament were banned for life.

Since then, ICC has stepped up the fight but the proliferation of franchise cricket has made the job of stopping corruption even harder.

The recording points fingers at how the interim national coach Khurum Rashid Chohan was instructed by three board members on the composition of the team. It appears the bookmakers based in either Pakistan or India relayed classified information to these board members who were allegedly involved in placing bets.   

In one instance the coach strongly objected to one bowler being dropped as the “wicket had a green top.” And he paid the price for it. On the squad’s return from the trip to the U.S. to play World Cup qualifiers Chohan was fired. He has been replaced by the national team’s general manager Ingleton Liburd. Liburd was a former Canadian international all-rounder who has been with the organization for several years. When contacted on Monday, Chohan told me that he was relieved of his duties and that “Ingleton will coach the team in next week’s matches. Call me back in 15 minutes and I will talk to you.” I called him back twice and the calls went unanswered.

Apart from this incident Canada has been on ICC’s radar screen for a little more than a year after it installed Salman Khan as CEO of the organization even though he was charged by Calgary Police with theft and fraud involving over $5,000 arising during his time with the Calgary and District Cricket League from 2014 to 2016.  Things for Cricket Canada have been on a slippery slope since last year’s World Twenty20 Cup. Just as Chohan has been the target of unnecessary meddling, the coach at the time Pubudu Dassanayake complained bitterly about interference from board members. “I honestly believe that our team was capable of reaching the second round of the competition but with five players brought in without my knowledge made life difficult,” Dassanayake said at the time. “I would say that 90 percent of the players I selected for the World Cup came from the group who helped the country qualify. But my hands were tied as the board insisted that I play certain players who were brought in at the last minute.’’

On his return home Dassanayake was fired and the former coach filed a suit for wrongful dismissal and this case is still in court. In the meantime, Dassanayake has landed a job as coach with the United States. Cricket Canada made overtures to sign Dav Whatmore, former World Cup winner with Sri Lanka.

When I contacted Whatmore in Sri Lanka, he said he was still waiting for a reply to a letter he had sent to Cricket Canada. After sensing the problems CC is facing, he wisely looked elsewhere and last week he was appointed Malaysia’s new Director of Cricket for 2025-2026.

Cricket Canada has also taken a hit on the field where skipper Nicholas Kirton was arrested for being in possession of “20 pounds of cannabis” in Barbados two months ago. He was taken into police custody and was released on bail.

In his absence Navneet Dhaliwal was appointed captain for the last series in the U.S. But with Kirton’s case still pending Cricket Canada dropped Dhaliwal and appointed Kirton to lead in the four-country tournament between Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas and Cayman Islands at King City next week. The winner of this group will qualify for the World Twenty20 Cup in 2026. ICC will have its hands full.

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