White knight Condon says bribery on way out

Cricketing crime-buster Sir Paul Condon, the former British policeman brought in to rid the sport of corruption, said on Thursday his unit was already having a major impact on cleaning up the game.

In New Zealand as part of an International Cricket Council tour of member states, Condon said the anti-corruption unit he started six months ago was already working.

"There are no preliminary approaches being made to see if people are weak and will take a bribe," he told a news conference.

"Anyone still at it is taking one hell of a risk."

Condon said his aim was not only to crack down on the crooked elements in the game, but also to protect the reputations of those who had always been honest.

"We'll get tough on the bad guys but protect the good guys who are the vast majority," he said.

"Yes, we adhere to natural justice and investigate all allegations, but we will also remember that people are innocent until proven otherwise.

"We want to restore the credibility and reputation of cricket worldwide. It is a very important game to a lot of people and they want to believe it is about courage, skill, craftmanship and luck -- not a grubby phone call on a mobile phone."

Condon said his unit had even enlisted the help of disgraced former South African captain Hansie Cronje to ask how he thought young players could best be protected against outside temptations.

"The corrupters are very clever people," he said. "They are not in your face on the first day. They befriend cricketers and string them along. Good people have been drawn into this almost by accident.

"The good guys -- and they're the vast majority of cricketers past and present -- are sick and tired of the general smear on the game and what it does for their reputations," he added.

Mail Cricket Editor