Jonty Rhodes calls for mechanism to curb match-fixing

Former South African cricketer and current Mumbai Indians fielding coach Jonty Rhodes has said that the ICC should make all efforts to keep the game clean.

Rhodes was a part of the national team that was led by late Hansie Cronje, who was later found guilty of match-fixing and involvement with bookies.

- Coverage: Match-fixing episode-II

"Hansie Cronje was my colleague and we had no idea he was doing something like that. The ICC has put the mechanism in place. I'm sure ICC is doing enough and should make every effort to keep this game clean," said Rhodes.

Rhodes's retort came in the wake of fresh allegations that had surfaced during the spot-fixing trial which is on in London.

Three Pakistan cricketers -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif -- are accused is the trial.

The former Test and ODI player also praised Harbhajan Singh's inputs as captain and player in Mumbai Indians' triumphant run in the recently concluded Champions T20 League.

"As a player, when you are left out either you can sulk or participate to fight on. Harbhajan Singh is a fighter. He has made a huge contribution (in MI's triumph) and has put things behind," said Rhodes.

Looking ahead to the five-match ODI rubber between the reigning World Cup champions, Rhodes says the hosts can come back strongly.

"I don't know what happened in England but England are now in India and I'm sure India will bounce back," said Rhodes.

Rhodes emphasised the importance of fielding in the modern game.

"I will give you the example of the World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka. The great knock of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India skipper) notwithstanding, it was the first five overs that changed the game. Indian fielders did not allow anything to get past them. That made a major difference to the outcome," said Rhodes.

"I had no illusion when I was picked for the 1992 World Cup that it was because I was a pretty good fielder. Just look at (West Indian and MI player) Kieron Pollard who takes catches on the boundary like a basketball player dunking the ball back in play," he said.

He also praised the young Mumbai Indians players for having contributed to the IPL franchise team's victory in CLT20.

"We lacked experience in the Champions League T20 but we had younger guys running and diving around. Nowadays, you cannot hide anyone on the field even at fine leg or third man with the scoops and reverse hits that are being played," he said.

"T20 cricket is not only about hitting fours and sixes but also about saving runs, field with dives and slides. One run saved can make a difference to the ultimate result as we have found," he explained.