Waugh calls for reduction in one-day matches

SYDNEY, MAY 6. Australia cricket captain Steve Waugh, on Friday, called for a reduction in one-day Internationals to help stamp out corruption in the game.

Waugh, who led Australia to victory in last year's one-day World Cup in England, said the increasing number of limited overs games had partly contributed to the match-fixing scandal that has swamped the sport.

``As cricketers you want to play for your country and you want to play every game that is possible,'' he said.

``But perhaps there's some tournaments there that probably don't mean a lot and I think they can be dangerous. That's probably where some of the problems have occurred in the past.''

Waugh, speaking after the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) agreed to a series of tough new measures introduced by the International Cricket Council this week to tackle match-fixing, said he had sometimes wondered about the commitment of some of his opponents but had never had any proof they were not trying.

``Everyone has had suspicions over the years about certain games,'' he said.

``There has probably been one or two games that I've played where you think `maybe things weren't quite right in that game'.

``You never really can put your finger on it or make a complete statement knowing whether you are right or not. But there have been occasions where you think something has gone on a bit funny.''

Waugh reiterated that he had never been approached to fix a match and said his team always played to win.

``I would hope the people in Australia know that the Australian team has never ever thrown a match or been involved in bribery allegations,'' he said.

``Every game I've played in, we've played 100 per cent - that's the way we have always played.''

Waugh said he hoped the new initiatives, including life bans for players found guilty of match-fixing, would help to restore the game's credibility after the Hansie Cronje scandal.

``Any threats to the integrity of our game needs to be tackled aggressively,'' Waugh said.

``I hope these initiatives start to rebuild any trust in the game that may have been lost and that people recognise that players and administrators are united in our determination to keep this evil out of our game.''

- Reuters

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