ICC planning review of anti-corruption measures

Jolted by the match-fixing scandal that has tarnished the image of the game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning a technology-oriented review of its anti-corruption measures.

The ICC could bring in British intelligence agency MI6-style code-breakers in a bid to root out corruption in the game, The News of the World reported on Sunday.

Quoting ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat, the newspaper said the governing body's officials have "spent the past three weeks locked in discussions with their own Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, along with national boards and player's unions."

"One of the authorities' biggest headaches is restricting players' communicating information from within the dressing room to unscrupulous third parties. Tracking that data is also becoming more difficult.

"With 'fixers' becoming increasingly sophisticated, ACSU bosses intend to recruit specialist code breakers to decipher the most complicated communications," the report stated.

ACSU chief Sir Ronnie Flanagan said the ICC will have to be technologically updated to track down corrupting influences on the game.

"In this fast-moving world of technology we have a new wave of devices," Flanagan said.

"From iPads to iPhones to BlackBerrys and social networking sites, these are all advances we must ensure we 100 per cent understand.

"It's a huge challenge for enforcement authorities of any form to keep one step ahead of those who would seek to use such technology improperly," he added.

The development comes close on the heels of spot-fixing and match-fixing scandals, implicating Pakistani players, that have shaken the core of the game.