Amid cricket-fixing controversy, reporter calls demand for unedited Al Jazeera footage 'absurd'
Hidden-camera investigation exposes widespread cheating and fixing at highest levels of the sport
Ask any cricket fan about the events that have unfolded this week and you're likely in for a spirited response.
The International Cricket Council is in damage control after a hidden-camera investigation by Al Jazeera alleged widespread cheating and fixing at the highest levels of the sport.
So damning was the evidence in the documentary that the story has become headline news in cricket-mad countries around the world.
"Almost 60 to 70 per cent matches we can set," a match-fixer boasts in the documentary, which is airing on the Qatar-based news network.
"The bookies set up in private rooms, with phones and computers hidden from police," explains journalist David Harrison, who conducted the 18-month-long investigation.
Unexpected response
Harrison says he didn't expect the International Cricket Council to be happy about what the news outlet uncovered, but was genuinely surprised by the response: The ICC's initial reaction was to criticize Al Jazeera for not sharing its scoop before the story was broadcast.
The head of the governing body's anti-corruption unit went so far as to accuse the news outlet of hampering an internal investigation by not handing over all "unedited and unseen evidence" before going public.
Speaking to The Investigators this week, Harrison explained that's just not how it works and called the request a show of "remarkable ignorance."
"No broadcasting outlet in the world would consider handing over material — particularly the type of explosive material that we have — before broadcast," he said.
"The reason is simple: If there are any criminal proceedings that arise as a result, the program wouldn't be able to be aired. So it was an absurd sort of request, really."
Harrison also said one of the ICC investigators asked Al Jazeera for the names of the people they knew to be involved. The governing body could then access their phones, which would help along the internal investigation.
"This is to ignore another basic of investigative journalism," Harrison said. "We have to send out 'right of reply' letters in plenty of time to allow the people we're making allegations against to respond."
That means those phone would have long been wiped of any potentially incriminating messages, he said.
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Match-fixing has been a major concern for the sport in recent years after a series of high-profile scandals, and the ICC has been accused of failing to adequately clean up the game since its anti-corruption unit was established in 2000.
Ultimately, the governing body's reaction underscores an accountability problem at the ICC, Harrison said.
"They set up this small anti-corruption unit, full of well-intentioned and experienced former policemen who are doing what they can. But they haven't got the resources to investigate corruption in cricket properly — and certainly not the resources to tackle the criminality behind it," Harrison said, noting the ICC has no powers of arrest.
"We know we've uncovered things that have shocked people. And that's evidenced by the fact it's gone around the world with huge headlines all over the world."
'It's an obsession'
The ICC response wasn't the only challenge Al Jazeera faced this week after the airing of the documentary.
"People who love cricket, love cricket. And in the countries where it's popular, it's an obsession," said Harrison.
"You are dealing with people — a lot of people — who don't want to hear this kind of thing. I'm talking now, frankly, about people who make their lives from cricket. And that includes some writers who are virtually industry writers, and you can see their reaction."
Then on Friday, nearly a week after the documentary aired, the International Cricket Council tried a different approach, issuing a public statement asking Al Jazeera to share its evidence to allow it to conduct its own investigation.
"We will conduct a full, thorough and fair investigation and ensure no stone is left unturned as we examine all allegations of corruption made in the program. To do so, we need to see all the evidence they state they possess," the statement from ICC CEO David Richardson read.
But it added: "We understand and fully respect the need to protect journalistic sources."
Al Jazeera says it will co-operate with the authorities but that no meeting with the ICC has been planned as of yet.
Also this week on The Investigators: A Russian journalist thought murdered in Ukraine shows up at a news conference to announce he's still alive, prompting a lot of questions. Plus how Russia may handle foreign journalists when it hosts the FIFA World Cup. The Investigators airs Saturdays at 9:30 pm ET and Sundays at 5:30 pm ET on CBC News Network.