In May 2018, Al Jazeera released a documentary titled "Cricket's Match Fixers" that made explosive allegations about corruption in international cricket. The documentary included hidden camera footage of individuals claiming to be part of a fixing syndicate that could manipulate the outcomes of international Test matches.
The investigation alleged that pitches at some international venues were being doctored to order, that specific sessions of Test matches were being fixed, and that the corruption network extended to groundsmen and officials. The documentary named specific matches and showed fixers apparently predicting outcomes of sessions before they happened.
The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit investigated the claims but expressed skepticism about some of the documentary's conclusions. The ICC said it had been aware of the investigation for some time and had already been looking into the individuals involved. Some of the matches named in the documentary were investigated, but the ICC did not confirm that any of the alleged fixes had actually taken place.
A second Al Jazeera documentary released later in 2018 made further allegations, including claims about fixing in matches involving top cricketing nations. The investigation highlighted ongoing vulnerabilities in cricket's anti-corruption framework, particularly in Test cricket where the longer format provided more opportunities for spot-fixing on individual sessions.