Vincent 'cooperating' with match-fixing probe

Former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent says he is cooperating with an investigation into match-fixing by the International Cricket Council.

The ICC says its anti-corruption and security unit has been working closely with domestic anti-corruption units to investigate the accusations for some months. However, the allegations were only made public on Thursday.

The New Zealand Cricket Players Association has confirmed Lou Vincent is one of the cricketers involved.

Mr Vincent says he is co-operating with the ICC, but its rules mean he can't comment further. He said his privacy needs to be respected.

Three former New Zealand players are accused of match-fixing. A spokesperson for the ICC in Dubai, Samu al Hassan, told Radio New Zealand it can't name any of the players or confirm identities until the investigation has been completed.

Former allrounder Chris Cairns on Thursday denied any and all allegations of match-fixing. He has been covering the New Zealand versus West Indies test in Dunedin and left the match in the afternoon to return home to Auckland.

Mr Cairns told reporters at Auckland Airport he hasn't been contacted by any cricket authorities. He said his heart sank when he heard the allegations and is seeking advice.

Sport and Recreation Minister Murray McCully said he is disappointed that past New Zealand players are at the centre of a corruption probe, but he would not speculate on the outcome of the ICC investigation.

New Zealand is jointly hosting the Cricket World Cup with Australia in 2015. Prime Minister John Key said he doesn't believe the tournament would be affected, but it would be a very serious matter if any of the allegations are true. He said New Zealanders expect sportspeople to uphold the ethics of their sports.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White confirmed on Thursday that three former players are being investigated and knows who they are, but would not reveal their names or say when the alleged match-fixing happened.

However, Mr White said none of the alleged incidents occurred on New Zealand grounds, none of the games allegedly affected were played under the jurisdiction of New Zealand Cricket, and no current players are involved.

On the Black Caps' official Twitter page, Mr White said his organisation has known about the investigation for several months and it was shocked and surprised by the allegations.

'Most are honest'

New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills said the news is extremely sad and disappointing. He said corruption is the biggest issue facing sport at the moment, but most people involved in cricket are honest competitors.

Mr Mills told Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint programme on Thursday the association has been assisting Lou Vincent, but is not in contact with other players involved.

"People at New Zealand Cricket, the ICC and obviously ourselves who are party to it in some way, shape or form aren't able to talk about the investigation or comment on who is involved. I think Lou was pretty keen to confirm that he was, because it takes away from other players, obviously, past players who have their names unfairly sullied."

Mr Mills said he is aware of some details of the investigation, but is not able to to speak about them.

Former New Zealand captain and coach Glenn Turner said he is not surprised New Zealanders are being investigated, as match-fixing is still widespread.

British cricket journalist Mihir Bose said match-fixing - particularly spot-fixing, which involves a small part of the game being rigged - is still a part of the modern game.

He told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme on Thursday that players may be approached by criminal gangs - many of them based in the Asian subcontinent where betting is unregulated. They may be asked, for example, to bowl a couple of no-balls.

Set up 13 years ago after a match-fixing scandal involving a number of players including South African captain Hansie Cronje, the ICC unit is headed by a former senior British police officer.