Match-Fixing: Cricket’s Dirty Secret and the Law’s Blind Spot

Once considered the gentleman’s game, cricket has increasingly found itself entangled in a web of corruption, deception, and scandal. From high profile international matches to domestic leagues, the shadow of match fixing continues to haunt the sport, eroding public trust and undermining the integration of the game. The legal system in many cricket playing nations remains frustratingly ill-equipped to prosecute and deter match fixers effectively. This article explores the murky world of match fixing in cricket, how it operates and tries to answer the question: is the law keeping up?   

The 2010 Spot-fixing Scandal

This article initially began as a research project on the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, which shocked the world when three Pakistani cricketers were found guilty of accepting bribes to deliberately bowl no-balls at specific moments during a Test match. 

The scandal (2010 Spot-Fix, 1) involved three players: Mohammad Amir, a young and talented left-arm fast bowler (born in 1992); Mohammad Asif, a right-arm medium-fast bowler who was ranked second in Test bowling behind Dale Steyn in 2005; and Salman Butt, the captain of the Pakistan national team at the time. 

The incident occurred during Pakistan’s tour of England in the summer of 2010, which included four Test matches, five ODIs, and two T20s. On the first day of the fourth Test at Lord’s, the 18-year-old Amir overstepped by a significant margin on the first ball of the third over. Asif also bowled a no-ball later in the same innings, during the tenth over, and Amir delivered another suspicious no-ball in the 13th. The nature of the no-balls immediately raised suspicion, with some journalists noting that they appeared unnatural and deliberate. This suspicion grew stronger when it was revealed that Amir had never bowled a no-ball in his entire Test career before this match. 

The scandal came to light due to an undercover investigation by Mazher Mahmood, a journalist working with the British newspaper ‘News of the World’. Mahmood had received a tip-off that Mazhar Majeed, an agent representing several Pakistani players (including captain Salman Butt), was involved in match-fixing. Prior to the fourth Test, Mahmood met Majeed under the pretense of launching a T20 tournament in Dubai. However, in subsequent meetings, their discussions shifted toward match-fixing. Mahmood asked Majeed to arrange for two bowlers to deliver no-balls at specific points during the match, this means that they would be able to guarantee their bets would pay off.

News of the World secretly recorded the entire conversation between Mahmood (posing as a businessman) and Majeed (the middleman), and later released the footage publicly. After the story broke, Scotland Yard searched the hotel rooms of Butt and Amir and discovered marked banknotes- a technique used by law enforcement to trace money involved in illegal transactions. Following this, it was announced that a criminal investigation would be launched against all three players. 

In February 2011, the ICC tribunal found all three guilty. Salman Butt was banned for 10 years, Mohammad Asif for 7 years, and Mohammad Amir for 5 years. Later that year, Southwark Crown Court convicted the players of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. They were also sentenced to prison: Butt received 30 months, Asif 12 months, and Amir 6 months.

The Man ‘Killing’ Cricket

Aneel Munawar, while not the only match-fixer in cricket, is certainly a significant figure who has been corrupting the gentleman’s game for years. (Munawar files, 2) Although he has been active in fixing international cricket matches since around 2010, Munawar is just a pawn in a larger operation. He is an operative for a powerful South Asian mafia syndicate known as D-Company - named after Dawood Ibrahim, one of the world’s most wanted men. D-Company is considered the supreme force in match-fixing and one of the most powerful and organized crime networks in history. They are often described as untouchable. There is evidence suggesting that the sport’s governing body, the ICC, has been aware of Munawar’s activities since at least 2010. 

His role in fixing matches was exposed through the work of undercover investigative reporters, who posed as British businessmen seeking match-fixing information for corrupt investors. They met Munawar on five occasions in 2016 and 2017, secretly recording conversations in which he claimed he could fix 60–70% of international matches. He also revealed that he worked with only 25 to 30 clients, each allegedly earning up to $1.5 million per fix. 

The scale of what was uncovered is staggering. Evidence suggests that between 2011 and 2012: 

• England players were involved in 7 fixed matches 

• Australian players in 5 matches 

• Pakistani players in 3 matches 

• And players from other teams in 1 match 

Munawar primarily engaged in spot-fixing, especially a form known as session fixing, where players underperform during a specific set of overs - typically 6, 8, or 10. Bookmakers offer odds on how many runs will be scored during those sessions. For example, in an 8-over session, the bookie might set odds expecting 48-50 runs. Punters then place bets on whether the actual score will fall below 48 or above 50. Munawar would tip bookmakers off that the session was fixed and encourage them to place heavy bets accordingly, such as betting that fewer than 48 runs would be scored. 

The so-called “Munawar Files” suggest that fixing occurred in at least 15 international matches (2011-2012) - 6 Test matches, 6 One Day Internationals, and 3 T20s. Across these games, Munawar accurately predicted 25 out of 26 manipulated outcomes. 

These files were analysed by a UK-based sports betting consultancy, which concluded that the odds of these results happening naturally were a staggering 9.2 million to 1. A second independent analysis based purely on statistical probability concluded the odds were 33 million to 1. To put that into perspective: you are far more likely to be struck by lightning on your birthday than to correctly predict those outcomes without some form of manipulation. 

The ICC has since stated that it is taking the contents of the documentary seriously. Lawyers representing England players have denied any wrongdoing, arguing that there is no credible evidence to support the allegations. Meanwhile, Aneel Munawar’s whereabouts remain unknown to this day 

Effects of Match Fixing on Cricket

There are two main effects that match-fixing has on the game: firstly, the economic effect, and secondly, the social effects on cricket’s respectability and credibility. Starting with the economic effects, in 2013, (2013 Controversy, 3) after an illegal betting scandal involving players from the Rajasthan Royals (including Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan) broke out, television ratings dropped significantly. Specifically, viewership for evening matches fell by 14% before and after the scandal emerged. The TAM (Television Audience Measurement) data for the week ending May 18th showed that the average Television Viewership Rating (TVR) for the four games played before May 16th was 3.65 across the all-India market. After the news of the spot-fixing scandal, the average TVR for the three evening games dropped to 3.13. Similarly, in Hindi-speaking markets, the average rating dropped 14%, from 3.72 to 3.2. 

The reputation of the game was clearly damaged by the scandal, as evidenced by the exit of PepsiCo (Pepsi Co, 4) as sponsors of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2015. The 2013 scandal severely harmed the credibility of both the IPL and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), prompting a Supreme Court-led investigation. Although the scandal broke in 2013, the legal and reputational fallout continued for years. PepsiCo, which had signed a five-year title sponsorship deal in 2013 worth ₹396 crore (around £36 million), decided to pull out in 2015 - a year before the contract was due to end - citing the negative image associated with the league due to ongoing controversies. 

Match-fixing has also led to a significant increase in distrust among fans, causing many to lose faith in the honesty of the game whenever such scandals are exposed. Suspicious results - such as dropped catches, strange tactics, and poor performances - lead fans to question whether matches are rigged. The phrase “cricket is corrupt” became common in media discussions, especially during the 1990s and 2000s. Fans stop attending or watching games if they believe the results are manipulated, which in turn leads to lower ticket sales. During Pakistan’s 2010 fixing scandal, trust dropped so badly that series held at neutral venues (like the UAE) experienced poor attendance and viewership, and although hard to quantify some sources say it lost the game upwards of $30 million. 

Match-Fixing and Scandals: Is the Anti-Corruption Code Failing

The anticorruption code was first introduced in 2000 and was created to combat corruption, match fixing and illegal betting in cricket. Some of the notable laws (ICC Anti-Corruption Code, 5) consist of- 2.1.1 - prohibition on corrupt conduct, no participant shall engage in any corrupt conduct including but not limited to, fixing or influencing the result or any aspect of, a match or event. Another is 2.6.1 - prohibition on contact with bookmakers, no participant shall have any direct or indirect contact with any person known or suspected to be involved in corrupt conduct or betting activities. The punishment for breaking one of these laws could be suspension or lifetime bans, fines and financial penalties or even criminal prosecution. The ICC cooperates with law enforcement; offenders may also face criminal charges in their counties if laws are violated.  

However there is a major issue with the anticorruption code, that being it still has limited power to deter corruption. The ICC anticorruption code applies to all players, coaches, umpires and officials participating in either international matches, ICC sanctioned events (word cups) or domestic matches. However the code itself is not a national law, it’s a binding regulation under the ICC’s authority, similar to a professional contract. (India Match Fixing Laws, 6) Breaching of the code lead to disciplinary hearing, bans, and fines, but not criminal charges - unless a national law is broken. For example if a player in India, England or Australia fixes a match they can be banned by the ICC under the anticorruption code and can be prosecuted under local laws if applicable (e.g gambling, fraud, and cheating). In England match fixing can be prosecuted under existing criminal laws such as fraud act 2006, gambling act 2005, bribery act 2010 and common law offenses like conspiracy to cheat or defraud. So in the UK match fixing isn’t just a sporting offense, it’s a crime. 

On the other hand, in India (and several other countries), there are currently no specific laws that make match-fixing a criminal offence. This means that match-fixers can often avoid criminal charges. Leading sports lawyer Nandan Kamath commented on this issue, saying: “At the moment, when people do it, the risk of getting caught is low; and even if you get caught, the consequences are that you get a bad name.”  (Hindustan Times, 7)

The second issue with the code is that it is extremely difficult to convict individuals of match-fixing due to the challenges involved in catching offenders. Match-fixing is carried out in secret, often without witnesses or physical evidence. In addition, players and fixers frequently use burner phones, coded language, or encrypted apps. As a result, even if a player is suspected, there is often not enough evidence to convict them under the Code’s rules. 

Finally, a major flaw in the system is that the Code is reactive rather than proactive- in other words, the code only acts after something goes wrong, instead of preventing it in the first place. Consequently, investigations typically occur only after a fix is suspected, not before, due to the lack of real-time monitoring. By the time action is taken, the fix has already been completed, and it is no longer possible to reverse the outcome. 

The Ongoing Battle Against Match Fixing  

Recently, in 2025, a major development in India’s fight against match-fixing has emerged (Haryana Prevention of Gambling Bill, 8) from the state of Haryana, which has introduced a groundbreaking bill aimed at closing long-standing legal loopholes. While the country still relies on the outdated Public Gambling Act of 1867 - a law that fails to address online betting and digital fraud - Haryana’s proposed Prevention of Public Gambling Bill, introduced in March, specifically targets electronic and online gambling. The bill aims to criminalize both match-fixing and spot-fixing, with proposed penalties of three to five years’ imprisonment, extendable to seven years in more serious cases. If passed, it would make Haryana the first Indian jurisdiction to implement legislation directly addressing sports corruption in the digital era. This may in turn create a large enough opportunity cost (stemming from the fear of harsh prosecution) to outweigh the benefits of the money match fixing offers.

Conclusion

In a sport that was once renowned for its honor and integrity, cricket has now been diluted by match-fixing and scandal. However, shocking incidents such as the 2010 spot-fixing scandal and the involvement of groups like D-Company have shed light on the deeper issues surrounding match-fixing in cricket, highlighting a clear need for the law to keep pace with the evolving tactics of fixers. Hope is not lost, though, with ongoing efforts in India and the Haryana bill, which will hopefully come to fruition in the coming months. Through the dark times the sport has faced, there is still light at the end of the tunnel with ongoing efforts to protect this $15 billion sport from the threat of match fixing.

References:

1) 2010 spot fixing scandal (17/2/25)

2) The Munawar files (17/2/25)

3) 2013 controversy (20/5/25)

4) PepsiCo leaving the IPL (16/5/25)

5) The International Cricket Council’s - Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (1/7/2024)

6) India Has no Laws Against Match Fixing (09/7/25)

7) Nandan Kamath comments (Hindustan Times) (15/07/25)

8) Haryana prevention of gambling bill 2025 (09/07/25)