England players to be named in Indian report

Two England players could be named in an interim report by Indian police into match-fixing and corruption which is due to be made public at the end of this month.

Two England players could be named in an interim report by Indian police into match-fixing and corruption which is due to be made public at the end of this month.

The inquiry by India's Central Bureau of Investigation follows the corruption charges levelled in April, by the Delhi police, against the former South African captain Hansie Cronje and three of his team-mates, who could now face possible prosecution after admitting their involvement.

A "highly-placed source from the federal agency" claims that the CBI's interim report is likely to list corruption charges against two English and three Pakistani cricketers and "will contain an exhaustive picture of corruption in the game".

Members of the CBI have recently visited Britain in connection with their investigations but Andrew Walpole, the England and Wales Cricket Board's media relations officer, said: "We have had no official contact from the Indian police."

The King Commission in South Africa, investigating allegations of corruption, will finish its work next month. "We want to wrap it all up in October and the final report should take between a month and six weeks to be made public," the commission secretary, John Bacon, said. The hearings are due to resume on 2 October.

The King Commission sat for 10 days in June, revealing details of Cronje's activities. On the strength of evidence uncovered by the commission, the United Cricket Board of South Africa banned Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams for accepting offers before a one-day international between India and South Africa in March.

The six-month ban applies only to international games and both players are free to play for their provinces during the domestic season. Gibbs returns to action on 1 October for Western Province in a limited-overs tournament.