4 Aug 2014

Lees doubts impact of match-fixing bill

8:15 pm on 4 August 2014

A former New Zealand cricket player and coach, Warren Lees, says the fallout from high-profile match-fixing cases will stop more cheating than the threat of jail time will.

A bill making match-fixing a form of deception under the Crimes Act, with up to seven years in prison if convicted, passed its first reading in Parliament last week.

In July this year, former Black Cap Lou Vincent admitted match-fixing and has been banned from cricket for life.

Another retired national player, Chris Cairns, is being investigated over similar allegations, which he denies.

Warren Lees says the public backlash from those cases and the impact on those players' lives will put more people off cheating than a legal threat.

However, a spokesperson for the TAB, Mark Stafford, says the bill is well-timed, with New Zealand hosting international tournaments in 2015.