Match-fixing in hand - Smith

Graeme Smith was visibly rattled by the death of Bob Woolmer © Getty Images

South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes the authorities are keeping a tight rein on gambling in the game.

The fallout from the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has seen allegations arise of spot betting, which refers to speciality bets on a particular aspect of a match.

Worries over match-fixing continue to bubble under the surface of cricket ever since the late South Africa captain Hansie Cronje was banned for life in 2000 after admitting taking money to influence the outcome of games.

Smith is well aware of the issues but feels the situation is under control.

“Betting on the game of cricket is obviously massive and we get letters all the time warning us about how much the tournament is going to be bet on,” he said.

“I think the authorities are managing it pretty well. The Anti-Corruption Unit communicate with the players on a consistent basis.

“We have protocols we follow and I am certainly pretty comfortable that they are managing the game pretty well.

“It is hard for me to talk about other teams. But, speaking on behalf of my own team, it is managed very well. It is very strict and the players respect that side of the game having been through what we have [with Cronje].

Mahela Jayawardene has no experience of match fixing

“It would be sad if there is any spot betting taking place in the game but I would have to say it is very difficult to see how it could happen.”

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene played down the link between Woolmer’s murder and match-fixing which, if media reports are to be believed, is more widespread than is generally perceived.

He said: “I've read about things in the media but personally I have not experienced anything like that.

“Obviously, though, it is something that everyone is concerned about. But unless you have substantial evidence you can't judge anybody from what has been said and done.

“What has happened (to Woolmer) is very unfortunate. We are all saddened by it and shocked and hopefully time will tell us what happened and what went wrong.

“We just have to make sure these things don't happen in the future.”

Cricket Australia spokesman Philip Pope also gave his backing to the authorities.

“We have every confidence in the ICC to ensure this is a clean and fair sport,” he said.

“We want a level playing field like everyone else and we believe that is what we have.”