Will Sutherland and Austin Waugh among cricketers to be put through extra anti-corruption lessons

THE sons of Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland and Test great Steve Waugh will be served up an extra dose of anti-corruption lessons as match fixers move towards trying to corrupt young players.

James Sutherland answers questions around match fixing in cricket. Picture: AFP Photo

THE sons of Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland and Test great Steve Waugh will be served up an extra dose of anti-corruption lessons after being named in Australia’s Under 19 team for January’s World Cup.

Will Sutherland was named vice-captain of the 15-man squad, despite missing this month’s Under 19 championships with a knee injury, along with Austin Waugh who has already drawn comparisons to his famous father.

They will come together for a pre-tournament camp in January and in the wake of explosive claims from would-be spot-fixers before the third Ashes Test, the International Cricket Council is on high alert.

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The ICC’s anti-corruption unit has recently identified that underage competitions, like the Under 19 World Cup, are high risk events where people with links to illegal bookmakers may look to contact impressionable players.

It’s thought that organised crime outfits could use the events to start grooming the future domestic and international players and try and get them “on side” to help future fixing efforts.

People close to the young players or the team, who might not ordinarily seem threatening, could already be involved in shady dealings and therefore young cricketers could even unwittingly be caught up their world.

Will Sutherland celebrates a wicket for Victoria. Picture: Getty Images

The ICC, which has a multimillion-dollar budget for anti-corruption activities, is concerned that the further young players progress through the ranks, the better use they could become for potential fixers should they be compromised at a young age.

Several members of the Under 19 team, including Sutherland, underwent anti-corruption training before a series against Sri Lanka earlier this year. And any member of an underage Australian team, down to Under 15s, also goes through the training by CA.

That training will be intensified before January’s World Cup in New Zealand when the ICC takes over, and sessions lasting up to two hours go in to extreme detail.

Players are even shown pictures of people suspected of being involved in illegal activities who are known to try and make approaches to players in hotels.

“We need to be alert to the fact that individuals, matches or tournaments may be seen as corruptible and continue to work with members to educate, prevent and where necessary disrupt and prosecute any criminal behaviour,” the ICC’s anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall said recently.

Austin Waugh has been selected for the under 19 cricket World Cup. Picture: Gregg Porteous

CA boss James Sutherland conceded that the stretch of corruption could reach leagues and players all over the world as more and more players became involved.

“That’s true, and being an international sport with global interest in our competition here, and all the other leagues and then players transferring around, there are risks associated, and they’re risks that the ICC is totally attuned to,” he told the ABC.

Despite increased scrutiny however, the ICC also fears the issue has become worse in recent times due to the explosion in domestic competitions, many sponsor driven the like T10 league in the United Arab Emirates, and the increasingly transient nature of players involved.

Originally published as Will Sutherland and Austin Waugh among cricketers to be put through extra anti-corruption lessons