In April 2000, following the eruption of the Hansie Cronje scandal, the ICC appointed Sir Paul Condon, the former Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police, to investigate the extent of match fixing in international cricket. His report, delivered in 2001, was a watershed moment for the sport.
The Condon Report confirmed what many had suspected - match fixing was not confined to one or two countries but was a global phenomenon that had been going on since at least the early 1990s. The report estimated that a significant number of international cricketers had been approached by bookmakers, and that corruption had affected the results of matches across all three formats.
The report identified South Asia as the epicenter of the betting market that drove fixing, but noted that players from all countries were vulnerable. It recommended the creation of a permanent Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) within the ICC, with powers to investigate, educate players, and recommend sanctions.
The ACSU, later renamed the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), became one of the ICC's most important divisions. It introduced mandatory anti-corruption education for all international cricketers, established reporting obligations for approaches from bookmakers, and created a framework for investigating and punishing corruption. The Condon Report fundamentally changed how cricket dealt with corruption, moving from denial and cover-ups to proactive investigation and enforcement.