No evidence against 3 cricketers: ICC sources
Dubai: The ICC had found no evidence against the three international cricketers who have been accused of accepting bribes by former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi and had closed the matter after a thorough investigation.
The game's governing body had on Sunday hinted that it had found no evidence against the three cricketers, when in a statement it said, "The ACSU handled that information in accordance with its standard operating procedures, which included sharing it with the BCCI's anti-corruption unit."
Reliable sources said had there been any wrongdoing, the world body's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit would have opened an inquiry.
"If the ACSU had found any evidence against the three players, then it would have charged them for breaching the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. If this has not happened in two years and the players are still playing international and domestic cricket, this clearly means that there is no evidence that warrants a charge," the sources told PTI.
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"The matter can be reopened as and when new supporting evidence is provided but, but as of now, there is no charge against the cricketers. It is now up to the three cricketers to file damages against Lalit Modi, who has questioned their integrity by shooting an email to the International Cricket Council, demanding investigation," sources added.
Sources said the cricketers need to decide their next course of action after damage was caused to their reputations due to Modi's allegations. "This is an extremely serious allegation and the cricketers need to act to get their names cleared once and for ever," sources said.
The sources further said the ICC had investigated the matter in 2013 because the email didn't refer the allegations to IPL or international cricket.