ICC considers summit on corruption

The International Cricket Council confirmed that it has contacted the world's leading nations to ask whether they are in favour of a world summit to discuss corruption in the game.

The world governing body has been canvassing support for the idea, which was suggested by the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, Lord MacLaurin, in a fax to the ICC president, Jagmohan Dalmiya. The move follows Tuesday's revelation that the South African captain Hansie Cronje received money from a bookmaker in relation to forecasting and had admitted being "dishonest" to his board.

MacLaurin wants all nine Test-playing nations to meet "as soon as possible" to determine whether they all believe the Cronje saga is "the tip of the iceberg". After receiving the fax the ICC contacted all the major delegates - South Africa, West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka - and is planning to make an announcement "in due course".

Meanwhile, the South African businessman alleged to be the go-between in the Cronje scandal denied any wrong-doing yesterday and said that he would co-operate in any inquiry into match-fixing. Harim Cassim was alleged in newspaper reports to be the businessman who introduced the former South African captain to the London-based Indian bookmaker Sanjeev Chawla, who has separately denied any involvement in match-fixing.

Cassim's lawyer, Itzie Blumberg, said: "It is totally untrue that my client has ever handed over any money or has knowledge of match-fixing."