The ICC expressed growing concerns about the vulnerability of Test cricket involving lower-ranked nations to match-fixing, as several suspicious matches were investigated.
As part of the expansion of Test cricket to include newer nations like Afghanistan, Ireland, and Zimbabwe's return, the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit raised concerns about the vulnerability of these matches to fixing. The combination of lower media scrutiny, reduced oversight, and betting markets that covered all international cricket created opportunities for fixers.
Several Test matches involving lower-ranked nations produced suspicious scoring patterns and results that attracted the attention of the ACU. While no specific charges were publicly brought, the ACU acknowledged that it was monitoring matches closely and that intelligence suggested fixing networks were targeting these fixtures.
The concern was not limited to results fixing. Spot-fixing, where individual passages of play are pre-determined, was considered a more significant threat. Bookmakers could create markets on specific overs or sessions, and players in lower-ranked teams, who often received significantly less pay than their counterparts in established nations, were more vulnerable to approaches.
The ICC responded by deploying ACU officials to all Test matches and providing enhanced anti-corruption education to players from newer Test nations. The organization also worked with betting companies to monitor unusual betting patterns on matches involving lower-ranked teams. The issue remained an ongoing challenge as Test cricket continued to expand.
ICC increased anti-corruption resources for matches involving lower-ranked nations. Ongoing monitoring and education programs implemented.
Cricket Canada
12 May 2026
ICC suspended six months of funding to Cricket Canada over governance failures and financial misreporting — 63% of their total revenue.
Multiple franchises
8 May 2026
The IPL's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) submitted a formal report to the BCCI in May 2026 flagging "certain anomalies" observed across the league stage: unauthorised persons had been seen in the team dugout, on the team bus, and at team hotels during IPL matches in apparent breach of anti-corruption Standard Operating Procedures. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed the report publicly and warned that "very stringent action" would be taken if violations continued. Separately, the BCCI tightened protocols after reports that certain franchise owners had been seen mingling with players in restricted areas — a specific interaction prohibited under the anti-corruption framework.
Various county sides
1865-08-01
Despite MCC's attempts to reduce gambling on cricket through the 1840s and 1850s, county cricket in the 1860s still operated in a culture where betting was widespread and where allegations of arranged results circulated freely among those closest to the game. Several county fixtures of the decade generated suspicion among contemporaries that the outcome had been agreed in advance, though the absence of formal investigation meant that no players were ever charged.